PHOENIX — One child was killed and others were hospitalized after a crash near 7th Street and Thomas Road.
The collision occurred around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Police say an eastbound vehicle crossed the center line and collided with a westbound vehicle.
A man driving the westbound vehicle and two children inside the car were taken to the hospital for treatment. Police say one of those children died from injuries suffered during the collision.
The child killed in the crash has been identified by Phoenix police as 9-year-old Shala Zamora. Family says the girl's name is spelled Shaila.
Zamora's family tells ABC15 she was a sweet and vibrant child full of hopes and dreams, and that they can't imagine having to spend Christmas without her.
The family shared the following statement from her Aunt, Dafne:
"Let's keep in mind my niece's smile, giggling, and practical jokes. When it came to playing a practical joke on her brother, she was my accomplice. Let's not forget that she would always claim she wanted to be a mother rather than a doctor or a lawyer when she was an adult. Let's not forget what a sweet, tender, and adorable little child she was. She is currently our little angel. I will not say goodbye to my niece, but I will say see you later. love you all and may God be with us."
A GoFundMe was set up to help cover funeral expenses.
A woman and child were in the eastbound vehicle, and neither suffered serious injuries.
ABC15 spoke to a neighbor who says she sees crashes in this area over and over.
“It’s very dangerous. Thomas is a dangerous road,” said Lorraine.
She lives about 40-yards from where the accident happened, adding she's heard car crashes on this road consistently for more than 20 years.
“People speeding by. People screeching, turning the corner. It gets pretty loud here,” she added.
Lorraine says it’s gotten so bad that a few years ago, she woke up to a car in her living room.
“There’s been so many accidents that one went through my home. That’s how bad it is.”
She says her husband is now going to install these metal poles outside of her home, "to protect us from speeding cars, because like I said, I did have my house run into,” she added.
Lorraine is a mother and a grandmother. She says she keeps her granddaughter inside to keep her safe.
“It’s very sad. Something needs to be done.”
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Thomas Road is shut down in the area due to the investigation.
