Two children died Wednesday morning in a horrific car crash on Loop 202 northbound near Brown Road in Mesa, Arizona.
The crash reportedly happened around 10:15 a.m. when a pickup truck running at a high rate of speed collided with the rear of a flatbed tow truck that was stopped on the right shoulder of the freeway on the westbound lanes of the 202.
A 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl died at the scene, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, citing statements from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Both children were said to be wearing seatbelts. However, the impact tore off the right side of the pickup, instantly killing the 9-year-old and the 11-year-old.
How Did the Car Accident Happen?
Officials for the DPS said the 36-year-old pickup driver, whose identity was not disclosed to the public, was the mother of the two children who died in the accident.
Speaking with AZ Family, DPS spokesperson Bart Graves said the driver was distracted as she was attempting to stop her children from fighting in the back of the car just before the crash.
"She may have been distracted by what was going on in the vehicle at the time of the crash," he said. "As I understand it, it was kids playing loudly, roughhousing in the backseat, or some kind of thing that distracted her from the road, from what she told us."
It was noted that troopers did not believe the mother to be impaired at the time of the incident.
The 36-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Were There Any Other Survivors?
Apart from the driver, her 6-year-old child also survived the incident with only minor injuries. The driver of the tow truck did not sustain any injuries from the accident.
The accident shut down the westbound lanes of the 202 near McKellips Road for several hours and was eventually reopened around 4:15 p.m., the DPS noted.
It is unclear whether the 36-year-old will face any criminal charges. However, the DPS is weighing whether she would be given a misdemeanor for distracted driving.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.
