Robert and Constance McGee were teachers and parents, enjoying life in South Florida with their three children, Rob, Shane and Kelly. They were passionate about their family life and spent time at the parks as the boys played baseball, football and soccer and Kelly pursued her interests in dance, music and baton. Vacations were spent camping and visiting state and national parks. Life was very ordinary and very busy, as any family's would be.
All that changed on July 13, 1991. Rob had stayed home to work after his first year at college and Bob and Connie took Shane and Kelly camping up the east coast for a vacation. On that day, they took their cousin's car on an outing. As they waited to pay at a toll booth, the car was struck in the back by a trailer which had come loose from another car. The car exploded as the trailer hitch struck the gas tank. Bob, Kelly, Shane, Connie (as well as two cousins) were badly burned and were taken to nearby hospitals. Shane lived a few hours but succumbed to his injuries. One cousin died of her burns after two weeks of suffering. Another cousin, Connie, Kelly and Bob were hospitalized for weeks in a burn unit. Life as they knew it was over, but another life was to begin. Urged to seek legal advice, Bob contacted the offices of Sheldon Schlesinger and met Bob Kelley, now of Kelley/Uustal. This began a thirteen-year journey that ended in justice for Shane against a manufacturer that knew of the problems with an unshielded gas tank but didn't find it profitable to change the design.
Bob and Connie seek to educate consumers regarding safety issues. The Shane McGee Foundation is an ongoing endeavor to memorialize their son and an effort to prevent other families from having to suffer this kind of tragic loss. It is their hope that their story will help families be better able to protect their children.