4 days ago
Family grieves woman killed on Pomona freeway by loose truck tire
Family members of the woman killed by a wayward truck tire on the 60 Freeway in the Pomona this week are remembering her as a woman of faith who was always helping others, just as she was when the tragedy occurred Monday morning.
Ingrid Zapata, 57, of Moreno Valley, was killed at around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning when the tire and rim of a pickup truck snapped off, bounced across lanes and over the freeway median before cutting through the top of her car.
"She was the most beautiful person inside and out and she radiated love," said Zapata's daughter, Kimberly Paiz. "You know everyone one day is going to die. Just not that way. Not like that. Not her."
Zapata, a mother of three and grandmother, was on her way home after driving a church friend to the airport earlier in the morning.
Her husband Orlando is beside himself with grief. He says that his wife was his princess and that he'll love her forever.
"She was always thinking about other people and not herself. She would be sick and still go to work," said Alejandra Alonzo, Zapata's sister. "I have to drive around."
She was a long-time school bus driver on the Morongo Reservation, who many now remember as having a heart of gold. Family says that she worked hard to provide for and protect them, as well as everyone around her. They said that she often opened her home for people who needed a place to stay or eat, also helping people find work or get out of trouble.
"It didn't matter your background. It didn't matter if you were right or wrong, if you needed help she was there for you," said Alvaro Reyes, Zapata's son.
It's that lasting message that the family says has provided them some sort of peace in the middle of their unbearable loss.
"I just feel like she helped the world and now I think it's time for the world to help her," said Carlos Jovel, another of Zapata's sons. "Put her to rest as she deserves."
Family members are raising money online to help cover her funeral expenses. The GoFundMe can be found by searching for the keywords: "Remembering Ingrid's Unconditional Love."
"Although we don't understand it, and we probably never will, she's in his glory," Paiz said. "And I think that's what she would want everyone to know. That she lied for God. And God's the one that took her in his perfect time, even though it wasn't our time."
California Highway Patrol officers are still investigating the incident. They say that the truck driver has not been cited. Zapata's family wants to know if the incident was just a freak accident, or if there was possible negligence in how the tire was last installed.
