FRANKTOWN, Colo. (KOAA) — The family of three children killed in a car crash says they are still trying to piece together what happened, but they know one thing for certain, the children in that car were deeply loved.
"Toretto is eight, Mackenlee we call her Mack, and then we have Mia who's 13. She's the one here in the hospital right now," said Jose Rodriguez, the uncle of Mia, Mackenlee and Toretto Corado, three of the five children who were in the car during the crash.
"Biggest thing I can say is just ball of energy. They lit up the room when they came around," said Rodriguez.
Some may remember Mackenlee from News5's reporting in 2020 about her Make-A-Wish trip to Disney. She had been fighting a severe form of epilepsy at the time.
"She finally got through and beat her epilepsy, and she was doing well. She was just getting the hang of it and just being a little rock star in volleyball," said Rodriguez.
Eight-year-old Toretto had just started a gifted program in school.
"Toretto is always creative, inventive and kind. He made paper projects to sell so he could have fun with his cousin, Sammy," said Rodriguez.
Thirteen-year-old Mia remains at Children's Hospital Colorado. She underwent surgery after sustaining a fractured pelvis, lacerated ligament and a hole in her esophagus, but doctors are confident in her recovery, Rodriguez said.
"She's recovering well. She's stable, she's responsive," said Rodriguez.
Mia's family says she's always been the caretaker and big sister.
"Mia, you know she's always happy making sure everyone is okay," said Rodriguez.
Driving the car was 35-year-old Army reservist, Alvin Corado, father of Mia, Mackenlee and Toretto.
Corado, taking his children and his girlfriend's two children, twelve-year-old Jase Green, who died at the scene and his brother Jordan Green, 14, who is in the hospital with broken femurs and facial fractures, to visit his girlfriend at the hospital, where she had undergone spinal fusion surgery that morning, according to a close family member.
"From our family's point of view, Alvin did everything he could to avoid the accident. There were multiple signs based on what the authorities told us that he veered the vehicle as soon as he could to try to make the impact on him and not the children," said Rodriguez.
The family says the app Life360 was the first to alert them something was wrong. Rodriguez said Mia had insisted more family members download the app before her mother left town.
"Marissa (the mother) has had Life360 for a min, but because Marissa was going to be out of town while the kids were with their dad, Mia insisted more of us download it and join her 360," said Rodriguez. "It recognized the abrupt stop… it went from 57 miles per hour to zero."
They rushed to the location, finding the road blocked off and learning details through police and social media.
"Just too much information, the fluidity and the information, I knew was true," said Rodriguez.
Marissa is now driving back to Colorado.
"Priority number one right now for our family is to support Marissa when she gets here," said Rodriguez.
While they wait, the family says they're holding onto each other and to any good news.
"Hug your kids a little tighter tonight… you don't know how life can change in an instant," said Rodriguez.
The family says their focus now is Mia's recovery and supporting her mother when she arrives.
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