Mia has been recovering well but "her spine injury is so bad that it's highly unlikely she'll walk ever again."
A 12-year-old girl is the only survivor of the deadly crash in Texas that left seven people dead. The head-on collision between an SUV and a pickup truck happened just before 6:30 pm on Farm-To-Market Road 2722 in Comal County, on January 22, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety, as per PEOPLE. A northbound black 2005 Ford F-150 veered into the southbound lane and struck a black 2007 Chrysler Aspen heading in the opposite direction, Texas DPS said.
The driver of the Aspen, Albertin Olvera Gonzalez, 39, his wife Nancy Olvera Gonzalez, and his three children—two boys, aged 8 and 17, and a 6-year-old girl were declared deceased. Nancy and Albertin's 12-year-old daughter, Mia is the sole survivor of the crash. The girl was transported to University Hospital in San Antonio in critical condition, according to Texas DPS. Hector Daniel Jaimes, 25, the eldest son of Nancy and Albertin, started a GoFundMe campaign to support himself and his 12-year-old sister. The driver and passenger in the 2005 Ford F-150 also died at the scene of the crash, according to Texas DPS.
"Right now I'm still processing everything," Jaimes added on GoFundMe. "My whole family is gone and I'm not sure what I'm going to do." Jaimes, who has stepped in to take care of his 12-year-old sister, has been adding updates to Nancy's Facebook page. "Thank the doctors and nurses that are working around the clock to help with her recovery," he wrote.
Jaimes wrote that he saw his family "right before they left" for an outing on January 22 when he returned home from work around 2:30 p.m. He then received an alert on the app Life360 that his family had been involved in an accident. Around 8 p.m. the state trooper police were at his door. "That's when I heard of what happened to my family," he said. Jaimes further wrote, "There is still a lot to do for my family, but I need to rest. There's going to be a lot of questions for everyone right now, but understand that I'm doing everything I can for my family."
In an update on the GoFundMe Jaimes wrote, "My sister Mia is already strong going through all this." She has been undergoing treatment. When she received the news about her family she told Jaimes that "You're the best brother ever."
According to another update, Jaimes wrote that "it's been an overwhelming experience for all of us." As for Mia, though she is unable to walk, she was able to attend her family's funeral in a wheelchair and see them "one last time." Jaimes wrote that the younger siblings were Mia's "closest buddies" and "she cried a waterfall for her little brother and sister." Jaimes also wrote, "Going forward I have no idea what the future holds. I'm terrified and sad. While I don't show these emotions outside, in my head I'm going through so much on my mind. One step at a time, but even though I might be sad. I'm not going down without a fight." Jaimes updated that Mia has been recovering well but "her spine injury is so bad that it's highly unlikely she'll walk ever again."
An investigation on the January 22 crash is still ongoing, Texas DPS said.
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/girl-only-survivor-texas-highway-crash-killed-seven/
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
