Sarah Standifird, alongside her sisters, spoke with ABC15 about the moment her son Andrew was born. She told ABC15 about the incredible bond they shared over the past 28 years of his life.
"We did everything together. I was 15 when I had him," says Andrew's mother.
Everything changed last Thursday, Andrew was working for a landscaping company.
His family tells ABC15 that he and three other co-workers got into a car and were heading along I-10 near Chandler Blvd., to their first job of the day, when tragedy struck.
"It's just so hard, you know because it was so quick. I wasn't expecting it," says Andrew's mother.
DPS says a semi-truck crashed into two cars which pushed them into another semi-truck and caused the cars to burst into flames.
A total of five lives were lost between both cars, Andrew being one of them.
DPS also pointed out distracted driving as a possible factor in the crash.
Andrew's family is now demanding safety changes to I10.
"We have truckers coming in and there's no separate road for them. That road from Casa Grande to Riggs Road is a death trap," says Andrew's mother.
Andrew leaves behind a fiancé and three young children who he loved unconditionally. He had a passion for music and played multiple instruments, including the guitar.
ABC15 is told he performed at bars across the Valley.
"He always told me, 'that's the joy.' So, no matter what you're going through - it could be good, sad, maybe misplaced - you hear a certain song, and it touches you," says Andrew's mother.
Andrew accomplished a lot at 28 years old. He helped his mother build her business consulting firm and worked a few years as a producer and host for a local radio station. He also had a giving heart, raising money for several different charities.
"I promise him that I will always make sure his name, his music, his children... know that he was special and, I'm going to keep it alive," says Andrew's mother.
An online fundraiser has been started to help the family.
