Two teenage cousins were killed after a late-night crash in Rockford, Ill., authorities said.
Leslie Moreno-Rivera, 18, was identified as the driver in the wreck, the Winnebago County Coroner said Monday, Jan. 19, WTVO reports. The passenger was Moreno-Rivera’s 14-year-old cousin. While the coroner’s office did not release the younger teen’s name, relatives identified her as Izamary Rivera Padilla in a GoFundMe page and a Facebook post.
The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 near the 600 block of N. Mulford Road, according to an X post from the Rockford Police Department. Police said Moreno-Rivera lost control of the vehicle and struck a large stone sign off the roadway.
Responding officers pulled both girls from the car, police said. They were taken to a local hospital, where both later died from their injuries on Jan. 17.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(768x241:770x243):format(webp)/Izamary-012126-7d1cf1b793324bb38200eee80cc8b6d9.jpg)
The Winnebago County Coroner said both teens died from blunt-force trauma, according to WTVO.
In the days after the crash, separate GoFundMe pages were launched to help each family cover unexpected funeral expenses. In a fundraiser for Moreno-Rivera, her family wrote that “their lives were cut short far too soon,” adding that the loss has left them devastated as they face saying goodbye to someone “so young and full of promise.”
Moreno-Rivera, who was planning to become a cosmetologist after graduating high school this year, was remembered by loved ones as a bright presence who brought joy to those around her.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(768x287:770x289):format(webp)/Leslie-Moreno-Rivera-012126-d0d4404e5fbd4784a5c2aaa2b725491d.jpg)
“She was spontaneous, full of life, and deeply devoted to her faith and her family,” her family wrote. “Leslie was a hard worker, a fighter, and a dreamer,” adding that her love for God and her family guided everything she did.
Rivera Padilla’s brother, Jerzain, created a GoFundMe for his sister, writing that their family had been “blindsided with a tragic car accident.”
“Izamary was a very athletic and outgoing person,” he wrote. “Her name and story deserve peace along with justice.”
