Family speaks out after Modesto mother killed in wrong-way crash on Thanksgiving

MODESTO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A North Valley family is opening up about the crash that changed their lives forever.

A wrong-way driver slammed into their SUV on Highway 99 between Atwater and Merced on Thanksgiving Day.

The fiery crash killed 49-year-old Norma Rodriguez of Modesto and left her husband, daughter, and daughter-in-law with major injuries.

"Picking out her grave, her grave spot is so hard. I don't want to see my mom buried. But I can't do anything about it," said Selma Ahuama, Norma's daughter.

Tears stream down 17-year-old Selma's face as she shares the grief of losing her mother.

On Thanksgiving morning, Selma's family was driving on Highway 99 to visit family in Southern California when a wrong-way driver crashed into their SUV, killing her mother.

The California Highway Patrol says 22-year-old Bryant Noyola was driving in the wrong direction for about two miles before the collision, which also killed him.

Selma says the impact caused her family's Tahoe to flip over.

People passing by on the highway stopped to help them before the vehicles caught on fire.

Cell phone video from the crash shows how intense the flames were.

Authorities say Noyola was speeding upwards of 90 miles per hour, giving little to no time for the family to avoid the crash.

Selma, her father and sister-in-law were all injured and taken to Modesto trauma hospitals.

The 17-year-old says she broke her leg so badly that doctors are still waiting for the swelling to go down before they can operate.

"I'm gonna get my surgery next week, and then I don't know how long that will take to recover," said Ahumada.

Her father broke his back in the collision.

Doctors say it will take him about two years to recover, and even then, he won't be able to go back to his job as a construction worker.

"We're still trying to piece everything together. The reality of everything, the severity of everything. It's awful, it's awful," said Jovita Barajas, Norma's niece.

Barajas says her aunt Norma was a role model to her. She finds strength in her faith and the words of encouragement Norma used to share with her.

"She was always upbeat. Always nonstop, she wouldn't stop, she would always tell me in Spanish, 'échale ganas,' like do the most you can, don't let yourself be down,"

Norma was a religious woman and kept an altar of family members who had passed away.

Now, her family faces the heartbreaking reality of having to place Norma's photo among other lost loved ones, as a memorial candle that's flickered since the day she died will soon burn out.

As the family heals from this life-changing car crash, they have set up a donation page to help with funeral and hospital costs.

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