A beloved mother and school bus driver died in a rare accident on a California highway.
Ingrid Zapata, 57, was driving to work on the 60 Freeway on Monday, Aug. 11, after dropping off friends at the airport when a loose tire smashed into her windshield, according to KTLA, KNBC, and CBS News.
The tire had come from a 1995 GMC pickup truck traveling westbound. It crossed the center divider into eastbound lanes and struck Zapata’s car, per KTLA and KNBC. This caused her to lose control and crash into a guardrail, killing her.
Her daughter, Kimberly Paiz, told KTLA, “None of us understand it. We’re all still kind of in shock.”
“She was the most beautiful person inside and out and she radiated love,” she told CBS News. “You know everyone one day is going to die. Just not that way. Not like that. Not her.”
A GoFundMe page remembered Zapata as a kind, generous woman who “touched everyone she met and left them better for having known her.” The family has raised $12,000 so far to cover funeral costs.
“That’s what I want people to know about her. How big of a person she was, how big her heart was and how selfless she was,” Paiz told KTLA.
Zapata’s sister, Alejandra Alonzo, said, “All she ever wanted was to make sure others had a better life. Whether it was cooking a meal, giving them a ride to the airport, or helping with paperwork, she was always there.”
The driver of the SUV, identified by KTLA as Steven Hernandez, 57, was not hurt. It is unclear how the tire came off his vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is still investigating the crash, per KTLA and CBS News. The CHP said the driver was not cited. Zapata’s family told the outlets they want to know if negligence played a role in her death.
Zapata leaves behind a husband, three grown children, and several “brothers, sisters, grandkids, cousins, and countless friends who are all heartbroken by her loss,” according to the GoFundMe.
