AUBURN, Wash. — A 19-year-old Auburn man is in critical condition after an icy crash with a semi-truck’s flatbed trailer.
Auburn police said the crash happened on B Street Northwest late Sunday afternoon in Auburn.
KIRO 7 News spoke with the young man’s mother, Angela Gomez, who said her son, Johan Gomez, was on his way to sell his dream car to financially help the family.
“In reality, it’s a hard feeling. At that moment, I was actually working. When I was working, I felt like my knees and legs were going to give out,” a family friend said as he translated for the mother.
The mother said she quickly rushed to the scene, but first responders wouldn’t let her see the destroyed vehicle.
The family captured photos of the aftermath showing a vehicle mangled under the trailer.
“When I saw the car, I didn’t believe my son would be alive and even the first responders would not let me near the car,” Gomez said. “I started praying, praying a lot because in a certain situation like that, it’s when a mother never wants to see her children in that situation.”
Auburn police told KIRO 7 News that speed was a factor in the case.
They said a passenger inside the vehicle was not injured.
A spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center confirmed with KIRO 7 News that Johan is currently in critical condition as of Thursday.
Johan was scheduled for two more surgeries on Thursday after suffering a broken skull and arms, the mother told KIRO 7 News.
“The community is devastated because of the news,” said Sergio Lemus, a family friend.
While Lemus and many within his church community are praying for Johan, he is urging people to drive cautiously when the roads are slick and icy.
“Because something like this could happen and not only one life has changed, but a multitude of people around this person, that care for him that love him, want the best for him, are also hurting,” he said.
The single-mother told KIRO 7 News that she is leaning on her faith after she temporarily stopped working to care for her son at the hospital, while supporting her younger daughter.
“I love him with all my heart, and I love him,” she said.
A GoFundMe was created to help the family during this difficult time.
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