‘It’s impossible to come to terms with,’ says family of west Florida runner hit and killed by car

By Stephanie Susskind

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    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPTV) — A west Boynton Beach family is sharing their immense heartbreak with WPTV after their loved one was hit and killed while out for a morning run earlier this month.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Caryn Lynn Chomsky, 44, was struck by a 2019 Honda Civic along Atlantic Avenue, west of Florida’s Turnpike, on June 9 when the driver, a 19-year-old man, went off the road.

Chomsky was running on the sidewalk when she was hit.

“Most amazing woman on the planet in every single aspect,” Ayal Chomsky, Caryn’s husband, told WPTV journalist Stephanie Susskind on Tuesday. “The most giving, caring, loving, amazing mother, sister, physical therapist.”

Sitting down with his two children and in-laws on Tuesday, Chomsky shared how his beloved wife of nearly 20 years was taken from him in a split second.

“I think it’s impossible to come to terms with it,” Chomsky said. “She was as responsible as can be. It was broad daylight. She was dressed properly.”

It was a typical Sunday morning and Caryn Chomsky was out for a long run.

Deputies said Caryn was on the sidewalk along Atlantic Avenue near the Turnpike in west Delray Beach when a driver veered off the road and hit her.

“He said, ‘Your wife was hit by a car.’ I said, ‘Please just tell me she’s OK.’ That’s when he told me she passed away. I ran inside the house and was screaming to the kids,” Ayal Chomsky said.

The rest is a blur.

“What has the last week been like for you?” Susskind asked Ayal Chomsky.

“Impossible,” Chomsky responded. “Trying to mourn her. Lots and lots of regret for the things I should have said. Not seeing her the day of. Trying simultaneously to support my kids and the family. Trying to stabilize her business, because it is her legacy and we will continue her business.”

That legacy of empathy and compassion comes with a remarkable life story, weaving this family closer together than most.

WPTV was first introduced to the Chomskys 17 years ago. They made national headlines when Caryn was diagnosed with cervical cancer and couldn’t have children. So her mother, Ann Stolper, stepped in.

“I didn’t know what to do for something that’s out of your control,” Stolper said. “And I had an epiphany and said, ‘I’m going to have a baby.'”

At 58 years old, Ann carried her twin grandchildren, giving her daughter the priceless gift of motherhood.

“They would have made my daughter very proud. They always will,” Stolper said. “I feel that she’s gonna be watching over them. And they are going to go on to do great things.”

“I just expect her everywhere,” Etai Chomsky, Caryn’s son, said. “She’s not going to see me graduate. She’s not going to be with me when I’m older. It’s really sad.”

“Any time before you leave the house, to give a hug and kiss to your family. That’s what we did here,” said Maya Chomsky, Caryn’s daughter.

Now, as the Chomsky family figures out how to navigate the unknown, one thing is for sure.

“What I promised myself is to have Caryn with me forever and to live my life in a way that, when I do get frustrated or upset, what would Caryn do? What would Caryn want me to do? And I’ve started doing that already. And I will continue to do that forever,” Ayal Chomsky said.

Keeping her spirit always in their hearts.

The initial crash report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t detail why the 19-year-old driver left the road, but does say charges are pending.

WPTV asked for an update on Tuesday and was told this is still an active and ongoing investigation.

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