Striving to ensure no one is killed or seriously injured while driving their car is something that never ends.
Every year, new laws and rules are implemented to keep people safer on the roads. And yet every year countless people lose their lives as a result of road-based incidents.
When you read stories like the one below, it’s clear to see why it’s crucial we continue to emphasise the importance of road safety.
As is a terribly common occurrence, the even in question could have been avoided if the driver involved didn’t violate the traffic rules in place.
Valery Arreola-Rodriguez was a strong, beautiful, 21-year-old woman. She was a devoted mother to two happy sons – her third baby, Emilio, was due to be born within a month.
The family were out to enjoy a Sunday dinner, when Valery’s car broke down on the highway.
Little did she know that this turn of events would lead to unimaginable tragedy.
One wintery day in early January, 21-year-old Valery was on her way to have Sunday dinner with her family. She was driving in her black Nissan, but the engine began to fail on the highway.
Valery, eight-months pregnant with her third child, panicked. She was able to steer her car onto the shoulder, and called her dad for help.
While she waited in the car with her children, though, a pickup truck collided with Valery’s Nissan at high speed. The crash was a violent one.
Her car was completely destroyed; the damage was extensive. Meanwhile, Valery’s father was forced to listen to everything from the other end of the line.
One of the first people on the scene was a man who had been in the vicinity of the accident. Mere minutes after the collision, motorist Martin Junglas parked his car and ran to the wreckage.
Speaking to Fox17, Junglas said: “I immediately rushed to the driver’s seat.”
Amongst the ruin of the car he saw pregnant Valery, sorely injured and fighting for breath.
She couldn’t get many words out, but as soon as her eyes opened, she asked: “Are my children okay?”
According to Junglas, the inside of the car was a mess. One of Valery’s sons had already been pulled clear of the wreckage, but her other had his legs trapped in what was left of the vehicle.
Junglas hurried straight to the trapped boy.
“I saw her son… in the front seat hunched over,” Junglas recalls. “And I immediately ran over to him and picked him up and started breathing air into him. And on the third breath he started to breathe and started to moan.”
21-year-old Valery was pinned between the driver’s seat and the wheel. She had bigger concerns, though.
As Junglas explains: “Her only concern was for her children,” he said. “She didn’t care about her injuries or her pain. She just wanted to make sure her children were alright.”
Paramedics rushed to the scene and were able to transport both Valery and her son Memo, 3, to the hospital.
Her other son, Max, 5, miraculously survived the accident with just a few scratches on his face.
Several doctors worked extensively to save Valery and Emilio. Sadly, after two hours in surgery, there came devastating news.
Valery and her unborn son had both been killed. The message was a hammer blow for her relatives. To make matters worse, they were still waiting on news concerning 3-year-old Memo. Both of his legs were broken, and he also had a fracture in his skull and injuries to his shoulders, as well as deep internal bleeding.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, nothing could be done to bring Memo back from the brink. He, too, passed away.
“He put up a great fight and we know that he is now resting with no pain,” the family wrote on their GoFundMe page.
The only consolation is that Valery was able to leave this world in the knowledge that one of her children was safe. “She knew as she passed away that her children were safe,” Junglas told Fox17. “I had told her that as I left the vehicle that her children were safe and would be okay.” *This was, of course, before it became apparent that Memo was also fatally injured.
Valery’s family have since detailed just how much she did for her two boys.
“Valery was a strong mom. She was a single mom and she worked several jobs, but she always tried to make time for her boys,” they said.
“She never let them go without anything they needed. She was always there for them.”
Following this tragic event, a collection page was started to help Valery’s relatives with the cost of the funeral. You can find it by clicking here.
Donations have been flowing in from friends and strangers alike since the page’s conception. At the time of writing, the amount raised stands at almost $18,000.
The page reads: ‘We thank everyone who has donated for valery and Emilio’s funeral and medical expenses. All donations are being managed by memo, junior, and Emilio’s uncle, valerys brother in law, Jay Medina.’
The driver of the pickup, meanwhile, could now be prosecuted, according to Woodtv.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to one year in prison and a heavy fine. That’s according to a press release from the Kent County prosecutor’s office.
This incident could have been avoided if the driver of the truck had only been more attentive.
It’s heartbreaking to read how a family can be torn apart simply because someone doesn’t have their eyes on the road.
Hug your loved ones and never take them for granted. Things change quickly from one day to the next, so be sure to treat your family with respect at all times.
Please hit the SHARE button to honour Valery and her sons. Spread the word and together we can help raise money for her legacy.
