Family Remembers Child Killed In Wreck
EL PASO, Texas — The Reyes family told ABC-7 their last precious moments with 8-year-old Karina were moments that would not have been possible without the good hearts of many people in the community.
Karina and her cousins were on their way to lunch when the Reyes family nightmare began.
New Mexico state police said Karina’s aunt lost control of the SUV they were riding in, forcing it to roll over on I-10.
It was a force so strong it threw Karina out of the vehicle.
“Whenever you’re driving, always put a seatbelt on a little body. I mean, if she had had a seatbelt, she would be with us right here,” Karina’s father Francisco Reyes said.
He said dozens of people pulled over to help, including a trucker who immediately began CPR on his little girl.
“That give me so much peace, because she suffered a lot. At least there was someone that was kind to her, holding her hand, a good person,” Francisco Reyes said.
When emergency crews arrived, they rushed Karina to Thomason Hospital, where she benefited from more goodwill.
“She received a lot of units of blood .. a lot. And we want to reach out to the community, to please donate blood .. because without that blood we wouldn’t have been able to say our last goodbyes,” said Soraya Reyes, Karina’s mother.
Karina leaves behind her younger sister Danielle and Alex, the older brother she used to cheer on.
As an aspiring artist and poet, her paintings and words will forever be etched into the hearts of her family.
“I love you, daddy, more than cookie batter, I love you more than my friends, I love you,” Karina wrote in a poem.
Police said none of the children inside the SUV were wearing a seatbelt and the crash remains under investigation.
If you would like to donate blood, you can do so at the following United Blood Services locations:
424 S. Mesa Hills
El Paso, TX 79912
915-544-5422
1338 N. Zaragosa Rd.
El Paso, TX 79936
915-849-7389
4758 Loma Del Sur, Suite B
El Paso, TX 79934
915-822-8438
