The family of a 28-year-old mother who died in a car accident last week wants to remind people just how fragile life is.
Sara Haywood died in a tragic accident the morning of Oct. 18, leaving behind three children. It happened near the intersection of Scripps Poway Parkway and Spring Canyon Road.
Sara’s father Orpheus Haywood told NBC 7 she was just starting a new chapter in her life, days away from graduating from Bellus Academy, a cosmetology school. Having moved to San Diego from the Central Valley, she had plans to start her own business to provide for her three children.
“She was trying to better herself. She always liked the ocean and she thought that was a good fit for her and her children,” said Haywood.
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Sara’s relationship with the father of her youngest child, 9-month-old Olivia, had blossomed into the beginnings of a family life in San Diego.
“She just had the biggest heart and she was very generous with her life. Giving of herself to others,” said Haywood.
But her dreams were cut short while she was driving to class one morning.
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The San Diego Police Department traffic investigators said Sara crashed into a tree after losing control of her car. Detectives believe she had swerved to avoid hitting a merging vehicle in front of her. Her family says she was not wearing a seatbelt, but police have not confirmed that.
“That I think would’ve saved her life,” said Haywood.
Olivia's father, Tyler Thornton, was at the gym when he received a call about the accident.
"'What happened?' You know, I need answers now,” said Thornton.
He picked their daughter up from the gym’s in-house daycare. He noticed his normally bubbly and happy child was emotional.
“It’s just that moment, I felt like she felt it. The news. I’m crying too," said Thornton.
It’s been a little more than a week since Sara’s accident, and Thornton said he's still in shock.
“We were finally going to be able to kind of, like, make this family whole and we were so close to that,” said Thornton.
He says he’s grappling with the hardest year that began with a birth and ends with a death. But he plans to keep Sara’s memory alive for their daughter.
“I would just tell her mom loved her and just that she's still with her.”
