Holiday accident in New Jersey kills Arlington man, his mother

Tree fell on car as they traveled to see relatives

Joël Baudouin and his mother, Marie Vernet, were minutes from their destination when the tree fell on the front of the car.

Arlington resident Joel Baudouin pestered his brother and sister-in-law to unwrap his Christmas gift several days early - his own painting of snowy mountains overlooking a slate-colored lake. Open his card, too, he nudged, wanting them to see his gratitude: "Thank you for my unforgettable birthday." In November, his far-flung family had gathered to celebrate Baudouin's 42d year.

Yesterday, the family met again in the Dorchester home of Joel's younger brother - this time to mourn. In a freak accident, Baudouin and his 70-year-old mother, Marie Vernet, were killed when a tree fell across the front of their Volkswagen Passat. They were traveling along the Garden State Parkway to visit relatives in New Jersey, and were roughly 15 minutes from their destination. Baudouin's two daughters, 13 and 8, seated in the back, survived but were injured.

Several hours after the accident, Edouard Baudouin Jr., his wife, and two longtime friends stared at the painting, propped against a wall.

"There goes Christmas and so much for a happy New Year," Edouard Baudouin Jr. said quietly, eyes glassy, as he remembered his brother, the eldest of four siblings, and his mother, who friends liked to claim as their own.

Baudouin, who family said worked as a manager at a Waltham hospital, was known around the neighborhood for his artwork and for photographing weddings, graduations, and other events for family and friends. Vernet, a retired nurse's aide, was remembered for her kindness and her traditional Haitian cooking, especially her coconut rice.

New Jersey State Police had few details about the accident yesterday afternoon. Sergeant Julian Castellanos said the weather was clear and it was not immediately known how the tree came to fall on the Garden State Parkway sometime around 1 a.m. Thursday. Baudouin's daughter Rachele, 13, broke her leg in the accident, and the family said she was scheduled for surgery at a hospital in New Jersey. Cassandre, Baudouin's 8-year-old, sustained minor injuries.

At Temple Salem, a Seventh-day Adventist Haitian church in Dorchester that Vernet attended, first elder Ricardo Joseph said he had no idea how to tell the members of his congregation about the accident.

"This church is going to miss them dearly," Joseph said of Baudouin and his mother, whom the elder described as a quiet, faithful lady.

"She was all about coming to church, getting her blessing," Joseph said just before leaving to pray with the family.

Edouard Baudouin Jr., meanwhile, struggled to digest the 3:30 a.m. phone call from his sister in California, who had gotten the news from another relative.

"I really didn't want to believe it," the 33-year-old Dorchester man said. A few days ago, he had taken his mother on a shopping trip so Vernet could buy gifts for her grandchildren. And Edouard had lunch with Vernet on Christmas Eve.

"I never knew that was the last time I was going to see her," he said, adding that he didn't know how to break the news to his 86-year-old father in Somerville, who, though separated from Vernet, spoke to her almost everyday by phone. Nor did he know how he and his relatives were going to break the news to his nieces, who family said were always at their father's side, giving him hugs or fiddling with his hair or camera. The girls' parents are divorced. The children live with their mother in Brockton but often spent weekends with their father.

"If it's true that a tree just fell on them, that's not acceptable," Edouard Baudouin said. "It's unbelievable. . . . My brother is a careful driver."

Yesterday, friends gathered around the family, reminiscing.

Rich Innocent, 35, of Roxbury recalled how Vernet loved to cook and often took the time to add extras - like a dash of coconut in her rice.

Added Jean Gervais, 37, of Randolph: "She was in essence like a mom to me. She was someone I could go over and sit down and chat away with."

Gervais and Innocent said they thought of Joel Baudouin as a brother, and chuckled as they helped Edouard recall some of his antics.

There were all the times that Joel, acting the part of the autocratic older brother, would make Edouard help him put on and tie his shoes.

Just the other day, said Edouard Baudouin Jr., a culinary student, his brother Joel was teasing him, saying that he should make sure the cooking school shows him how to make chicken pot pie.

"You need to learn because I like it," he recalled of his brother's comment and smiled lightly.

Then he sobered, saying, "I guess I'll never be able to do that."

Globe correspondent Anne Baker contributed to this report. Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.