BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — “He loved everybody and made a huge impact on everybody he came into contact with.” Those are the words Ryan Pounds spoke about his younger brother, Cody Pounds, 34, who was killed in a fiery crash on Saturday, Aug. 16, in Baton Rouge.

The deadly crash happened around 2:30 a.m. and also left Cody’s fiancé, Holly Rogers, in critical condition.

According to Ryan, Rogers was initially taken to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge before being transported to New Orleans.

Rogers had a five-hour-long surgery to repair a broken neck and to help with a spinal injury, Ryan said.

He said that the couple was headed to a car show in downtown Baton Rouge. The pair was driving in a vehicle behind Cody’s best friend and his wife.

Ryan said Cody’s fiancé was driving and attempted to follow the couple off I-10 at the Louise Street exit.

Rogers then lost control of the vehicle. It hit and flipped over the guardrail, Ryan said.

The vehicle fell around 25 feet before hitting the ground and bursting into flames.

Cody’s best friend and wife saw flames in their rearview mirror and raced back to the crash scene.

Ryan said Holly was pulled out and away from the vehicle by Cody’s best friend and his wife.

The same man tried to pull Cody out of the vehicle, but was unable to do so because it was too hot.

He then went back towards his wife, and that is when the car exploded, Ryan said.

He said that he learned about his brother’s passing from his mother. His mother was told by someone at the crash scene, Ryan said.

Cody’s younger brother said he never expected to get that call, and his death has left a huge hole in his heart.

Ryan said Cody was a true family man who was a great dad. He said that Cody liked the outdoors, fishing, and car rides, but would drop all of it for five minutes with his kids.

Cody leaves behind a seven-year-old daughter and a one-year-old. According to Ryan, Cody’s daughter was sad at first and asked whether her daddy was wearing his seat belt.

Ryan said he was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

The brothers lost their father in June, and they called him “Pops.” According to Ryan, the family told Cody’s daughter that “your dad went to be with Pops.”

According to Ryan, Holly and Cody were a good couple and had been together for ten years. He said they were always laughing, and she adored Cody while Ryan’s brother would do anything for her.

Holly was from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Cody was from Baton Rouge. Ryan said she was in town visiting years ago when she met Cody and never left. He said her parents still live in Arkansas, and they came to the hospital to be with Holly.

The couple had moved to Hammond a couple of years ago, and that is where they were living before the crash.

Cody Pounds was the only provider, and Holly was a stay-at-home mom, according to Ryan.

With so much uncertainty in the future, a GoFundMe was set up for Rogers and the kids.

Ryan said funeral services for Cody will be in Walker, and there will be a memorial, but a time and place have not been set.

Rogers is awake and has her eyes open, but a long recovery awaits. The family is unsure if she will walk again, Ryan said.

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