PHOENIX — A family is mourning the loss of a mother and her infant son after a crash on Friday in Phoenix.
According to Phoenix Police, the sedan Kristina Lara and her family were in was going northbound on 19th Avenue near Lower Buckeye Road when a pickup truck attempted to turn west onto Lower Buckeye Road and collided with their vehicle.
Antoinette Henry said her stepdaughter, Lara, along with her boyfriend and four children were in the car when the crash happened.
"[This] caused the life of Kristina and our one-month-old Jasiah, our grandson, he was in his car seat," Antoinette Henry said. "Kristina saved the life of our one-year-old granddaughter, who is in the hospital and she's moved out of the ICU."
Antoinette Henry said the family had just spoken to Lara 15 minutes before the accident and said it's been a roller coaster of emotions coping with their loss.
"We were bringing Jasiah a swing because she texted her mom and said that Josiah needed a swing," Antoinette Henry said. "We went to go purchase it, and we were bringing it out to her, and we were supposed to meet afterward."
Phoenix police also said no child in the car was restrained in car safety seats at the time of the crash.
"I guess the one thing that hits us hard is when people say, 'How could they have not been in their seat belts?'" Antoinette Henry said. "That hits us the most, and that's true, but at the same time, our daughter was a hero."
Antoinette Henry described her grandson as a "strong baby" who fought until the end to stay alive.
Antoinette Henry said Lara was on a positive path in life and said she had a heart of gold.
"Even when she was in high school, she told us, 'I don't want a Christmas gift. I want to go out and give stuff to the homeless,'" Henry said. "So that's what we did, even though we lived all the way in the Globe area. We came all the way out here into Phoenix to do that for her."
Belen Henry, Lara's mother, said she promised to care for her grandchildren in the future and said she hoped drivers would pay more attention on the road.
"I used to think, 'No, not me. It would never happen to my family.' But look, here I am," Belen Henry said. "Just buckle up and when you think it's not you, just rethink that because it could be you, it could be anybody."
The family has started a fundraiser to help raise money for funeral expenses.
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