A crash that changed the lives of a local family
An unexpected tragedy left two Corpus Christi children without their mother this holiday season.
Ashton Stinson said his younger sister Crystal Rives was struck by a truck and killed on McCardle Road on Dec. 9.
She was working evening shifts as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Stinson said on the day she died, the 37-year-old wanted to purchase snacks for her kids before she headed to work.
He said she walked to the neighborhood Quik Stop to buy the food and that's when she was hit.
"My niece called me, and we were at home watching a movie when I got the phone call. And I answered the phone, and my niece was on the phone screaming and crying telling me that 'uncle, mom is dead, she died, my mom is gone, my mom is gone,'" Stinson said.
The Corpus Christi Police Department confirmed the vehicle versus pedestrian crash happened at about 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.
CCPD Officials said a woman was hit by a truck when she was crossing McArdle Road — in a poorly lit area — away from the crosswalk. The CCPD said the driver pulled over when they realized the woman was hit.
The driver remained on-scene and cooperated with officers.
Stinson said he viewed an area resident's home security footage. He believes it showed a truck speeding before the time of the crash.
He added he has been communicating with a resident who lives near the street about hosting a Candlelight Vigil to honor his sister and raise awareness for more lights, speed enforcement and more crosswalks on McArdle Road.
"I don't hold a grudge towards the gentleman that hit my sister with his truck. You know it was something unfortunate that cost my sister her life," Stinson said. "I do forgive him. And prayers from the community to him, because we prayed for his healing because this is something he's going to have to deal with and think about for the rest of his life."
Family Life
Rives lived in Corpus Christi her entire life. Her brother grew up in the Coastal Bend as well, and currently lives in Louisiana. However, the distance never kept Rives and her family apart.
"At Thanksgiving time, she got a lot of us that live in different states and created a video chat where even if we weren't there in person, we were all able to get together and have time to talk about life and family experiences," Stinson said. "It's like she knew what was going to happen and got us all together one last time so we could all be together, see her, and hear her voice before her untimely departure from us."
Over the weekend, Stinson headed to Corpus Christi with his significant other and has been trying to make funeral arrangements. Because Rives did not have life insurance, the family has been collecting donations to help with the funeral expenses. Stinson set up a GoFundMe listing to raise funds for his siter's funeral.
Click here to access the GoFundMe listing.
The public can also help the family by contacting the Saxet Funeral Home. The contact number is (361) 882-7010, and those willing to help can mention Crystal Rives' name to donate and help cover funeral costs.
Remembering Crystal Rives
Crystal Rives is described as a silly, hardworking, strong, and loving individual. She is not only leaving behind two of her children, but several family members who looked to her for support.
"She took care of our father who was sick. He has a couple of health issues. Parkinson's, early onset of dementia, high blood pressure, and she did the best she could as a single-mother," Stinson said.
Because the family is hit with this loss during the holidays, they are welcoming thoughts and prayers from community members during their time of grief.
"My niece and nephew; they're never going to get to hug their mom again, tell her that they love her, and see her get old," Stinson said. "We lost another very strong and loving person in the family and it's just (...) we're going to need a lot of prayer to build and strengthen up and move forward from here on out."
