‘It’s a nightmare’: Army Veteran celebrating his 26th birthday killed after getting hit by 8 cars

Army Veteran run over 8 times in deadly crash

A family's holiday is spent planning a funeral after 26-year-old Jack Dyer was killed after a motorcycle crash on US 27 in Lake County.

A family is struggling to grasp how their son was killed in a Lake County crash after troopers say he was run over by eight vehicles.

This all happened on December 17th around 6:30 p.m. along U.S. Highway 27 and Frank Jarrell Road. John ‘Jack’ Dyer was riding his motorcycle when he lost control, fell off his bike, and was hit by 8 vehicles.

His family told FOX 35, it's hard to comprehend their loved one dying like that.

"It's a nightmare, it's horrendous, it's just crushing. The first car probably killed him. I don't think he suffered, but how did all of those cars just keep running him over? He's not a deer in the road, he is a human being," John Dyer, Jack's father, said.

December 17th was Dyer's 26th birthday. His parents were sending him ‘Happy Birthday’ text messages but they didn't hear back. His mom even left a voicemail and no callback. Two days later, on December 19th, the Dyer's got a knock on the door.

"Two cops from Suffolk County came to my door and asked for the family of John Dyer. I assumed he got a ticket or something and then they told me he died in a motorcycle accident. It's devastating, I didn't know how to tell my wife," Dyer said.

Jack served in the army, as a paratrooper. His father told FOX 35, that Jack was afraid of heights, then one day he told them he volunteered to serve the country and wanted to be a paratrooper.

"I don't know how he does it, he just overcame his fears. He was afraid of the water, and then he became an avid surfer out in Montauk, Long Island. He was full of life."

Jack was adopted at 5 years old from Russia. He grew up in New York. He moved to Orlando after high school, then joined the army and came back to Orlando.

The Dyer family is going through the holiday with two fewer family members. Jack's sister, Katy died during the pandemic just a couple of years ago. Through all of this grief, the family is leaning on their faith.

"God doesn't tell us when we have a full life. You can have a full life when you are one month old, or a full life when you're 99. God chose Jack's time, he didn't ask me. That's for sure."

Florida Highway Patrol tells me this case is still a very active traffic homicide investigation, and it doesn't have any updates to give right now.