The family of a grandmother and two children who were killed in a car crash in Mora County on July 1 thinks the accident could have been prevented.
Irene Romero, 42, was backing out of a driveway when a speeding car driven by Jesse Joel Blanco, 22, crashed into her vehicle, according to KOB 4. Romero and her granddaughter, Annalise, 4, and niece, Daniela Lopez, 9, were killed. Romero's daughter, Shantelle, 21, survived.
"I don't feel too good today; I lost three members of my family, but what can you do," Ricardo Martinez, Romero's stepfather, told KOB 4 three days after the accident.
Blanco and his passenger, 20-year-old Dominic Armijo, survived the crash. Blanco faces numerous charges including vehicular homicide, speeding, and aggravated DWI, while Armijo was accused of trying to hide alcohol bottles and charged with tampering with evidence.
"I feel there needs to be more done over here – have them patrol more and get those kids that are racing all over town," Martinez said. He told KOB 4 that it sometimes takes hours for law enforcement to respond to calls about speeding in the area, if they respond at all.
Martinez said that one of the girl's organs would be donated to help save someone else's life, KOB 4 reported.
"She's donating the organs of that little girl today to try and save somebody’s life because we care, she cares, you know?" he said. "… I know we have to live without her [Daniela]."