CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Chesterfield woman is highlighting the importance of safe driving after losing her son in a car crash.
Chesterfield County Police have just announced a week-long campaign to crack down on distracted driving in his memory. They say his case stands out as the crash was both preventable and survivable.
Elizabeth Rosario said reliving her son's last moments is painful but that she is willing to do so in partnership with Chesterfield Police if it can help prevent future accidents.
Rosario lost one of her sons to an overdose just one month before losing another in a car crash last year.
She said 25-year-old Carlos Pereira had been living in Virginia Beach but moved back home to Chesterfield after the death of his brother.
On June 26, he was driving down Courthouse Road, headed to meet the family at the movies. At some point, while driving, he ran off the road, crashing into a tree.
At the time of the crash, he was on the phone with his mother. She had called to see if he was close by.
When she went to end the call, Carlos asked her to stay on the line with him.
Soon after, Rosario said she heard other people's voices and commotion on the phone but her son stopped responding.
She then left the theater to find her son and found the scene of the crash which was just a mile away.
"The officer, he was there so I had to get my son, that's my son. He said mama, you can get to him, let him work with him and then in that moment, I started praying and talking to God, oh my God, don't do that to me again, don't do it to me again," Rosario said.
Carlos was later pronounced dead at Chippenham Hospital.
To learn more about Chesterfield's initiative, you can head to their Facebook page.
