Antioch family mourning after autistic 8-year-old boy killed in crash
ANTIOCH, Calif. - A family in Antioch is feeling the loss of an autistic 8-year-old boy killed in a car crash a week before Christmas.
The family of Zahir Giovanni Juarez Rojo says he was killed in a crash on Highway 4 near Vasco Road on Dec. 13.
His cousin Isabelle Flores said the boy’s father, Antonio Juarez, was driving the car during the accident.
Flores told KTVU a trailer going the opposite direction of Juarez’s car disconnected from its load and fell into oncoming traffic, causing the car to flip and tumble, colliding with multiple cars and causing a pileup.
Juarez suffered a spine fracture and other injuries. The family said they had to lay the little boy to rest on Dec. 23, and were forced to celebrate Christmas without him.
Zahir was a miracle rainbow baby for his parents, who tried for years to get pregnant.
"My aunt has epilepsy and other health conditions that caused her to have some issues getting pregnant, and they tried many times, and it took a lot to become pregnant with Zahir," said Flores.
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Flores also said Zahir’s parents centered their life around him, including their jobs, and with Juarez injured, he has not been able to work.
Flores said she takes issue with the dangers of the road itself.
"There’s been so many car crashes and so many deaths on that road. I feel like more needs to be done because we know this is not going to be the last time something like this happens."
In addition to the little boy’s death, three other people were taken to the hospital with injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol, who are investigating the fatal crash.
The Juarez Rojo family has a mountain of medical bills and funeral expenses, which made the holidays especially solemn for them this year.
A GoFundMe was created to help with their expenses.