Families Of Victims Killed By 18-Wheeler Still In Disblief
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) --Families are in disbelief after a sad reality is sinking in after five people were killed in a crash in Fort Worth and 12 others were injured.
It happened on Interstate-30, between the exits for Beach Street and Oakland Boulevard.
A westbound driver lost control and crashed, then good Samaritans, rushed to help but never expected an 18-wheeler to drive right into the scene.
Forty-three year old Mary Hernandez's family says she was always taking care of others.
"[She] bathed us, clothed us, drove us around when she got her license," recalls sister Lisa Martinez."
Hernandez was a single mom to three children, an adopted mother to a host of stray animals, and on the job, she worked as a hospice nurse for terminally ill adults and children.
"That's the kind of person she was, had a big heart, wanted to help everyone."
Lisa Martinez wasn't at all surprised to hear her sister stopped on the highway at 2:30 a.m. in the morning to help a driver who'd crashed.
Police say several cars had stopped to assist and people appeared to be standing in a lane of traffic.
An 18-wheeler appeared moments later and plowed through the small crowd.
"He did hit the brakes, because there are skid marks on the road. So he did try… he attempted to stop," says Fort Worth Police PO Tamara Pena.
"It seemed like chaos with all the cars stopped," says Nathan Obregon, who witnessed the aftermath. According to Obregon people lined the highway, as ambulances tried to push through.
"There were two little kids, at least 9, looking for their mom. I didn't know where their mom was, if she was involved."
Hernandez's sister now wonders how her family will move forward.
"She was my big sister. I won't have her there to look up to, or get me through things she's already gone through," says Martinez.
Fort Worth Police believe the victims knew each other, but Hernandez's family disputes that, saying she was simply an altruistic person.
