Funeral arrangements are pending for a man who died on the way to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to the Super Bowl.
"Please be in prayer for our family. We lost my brother, Edward Craig Cushman, in a freak accident while we were driving to Atlanta," Rob Cushman posted to Facebook. "While we are devastated, we are happy he is no longer suffering from the pain of ALS."
Ed was going to the game thanks to New Orleans based Team Gleason.
The organization founded by former Saints player Steve Gleason tries to help make life better for people battling ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Like Gleason, Cushman suffered from ALS and was wheelchair-bound. He was also on a ventilator.
Police say his van the family was using to drive him to the game burst into fire on the Interstate in Georgia, and he died.
"The vehicle started smoking underneath so the driver pulled to the shoulder," according to Georgia State Police report. "He exited the vehicle and then smoke began pouring out of the vehicle. He stated that at that point flames started erupting out of each side and he tried to extract his passenger, but was unable to and had to leave because the flames were too intense."
Team Gleason has released a statement:
All of us at Team Gleason are deeply saddened after learning about the tragedy that resulted in the loss of Ed Cushman's life. Our brief relationship with Ed's family was filled with excitement, as Team Gleason secured the ADA Super Bowl tickets he requested. Like so many with ALS, Ed was passionate about living and he dreamed of going to the Super Bowl. We were honored to have played a small role in helping make that possible for such an amazing man. We remain committed to our ALS community and Ed's family in this time of incredible sadness.
Cushman lived in North Carolina.