A single mother of eight named Aurora Lizeth Canales was tragically killed after a hit-and-run accident in Carrollton, Texas. She was traveling with five of her children and three of them were sent to the hospital with severe injuries, although they are all expected to recover.

According to NBC 5 in Dallas Fort Worth, Canales was in the car with her children when a red Camaro speeding by the intersection of Marsh Lane and Dove Creek lost control of the vehicle and crashed into Canales’ car. After the initial crash, a third car hit both Canales’ car and the driver who hit her. The driver of the red Camaro fled the scene.

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Courtesy of Facebook

One of Canales’ daughters, who was in the car, Diana Perez, said, “It was just like a regular day and then out of nowhere, I blacked out.” When she came to, she saw that her mother’s side of the car was missing and that Canales was unresponsive. Perez also recalls hearing her sister screaming from the backseat.

“All I could do is just scream, because I didn’t want to believe that she was actually gone,” Perez said. “And I didn’t want to believe that this was real life. I wanted to believe that this was just a bad dream. And I just wanted to wake up from it, but it’s not.” Canales was pronounced dead at the scene.

Local authorities said they were able to identify the driver before he fled the scene and have issued a warrant for his arrest, but Canales’ family is still figuring out how to move forward without their dedicated matriarch. Alongside 21-year-old Diana Perez, 22-year-old Jesus Perez-Canales are now tasked with deciding on the family’s next steps.

“I wasn’t ready for this kind of responsibility, but I’m going to do everything I can to take care of them like how my mom would,” Perez-Canales said. His sister Diana feels similarly, saying, “She always loved us, and that’s something I want to carry on.”

Courtesy of Facebook

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Perez-Canales family through this devastating hardship. Canales’ eight children, ranging in age from 4 to 22, were identified as Mathew, Nicole, Issac, Mireya, Jose, Marina, Diana, and David. The GoFundMe page describes Canales as a “hard-working, single mother” who “cherished all of her kids, celebrated their accomplishments, and always encouraged them to strive for more.”

The page also notes that Canales didn’t stop with just her own children and would regularly help her siblings, nieces, and nephews whenever possible. As the sole breadwinner for her family, Canales’ eight children need everything they can get to make it through the tough times ahead.

The fundraiser has currently raised more than $26,000 dollars with an initial goal of $20,000, but the page is still accepting donations. According to the family, their first priority is covering funeral expenses for their mother and medical expenses for their three siblings, who are still in the hospital.

Once those are paid for, the rest of the money will go towards supporting the family and keeping the children in school.