RENTON, Wash. — Melissa Cortez was driving a white Toyota Avalon and was sitting at a red light in Renton when she was part of a major collision that took the lives of four people, including a mother and three children.
The crash involving four vehicles happened around 12:45 p.m. in the 19200 block of 140th Avenue Southeast on March 19, according to fire officials. The King County Sheriff's Office identified 38-year-old Andrea Hudson, a 13-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old boy as the victims killed in the crash.
“I hear a noise and then it got my attention and I look up and see a spinning minivan and then it was too late for me to react and it hit me,” Cortez said.
Her injuries were minor – though her heart is broken for the four people from three different families that are forever changed.
“When I woke up and I realized what happened I struggled getting the seatbelt off of me – struggled getting out for one minute, and then eventually did get out and I saw too much that I wish I didn’t see. My own eyes. I hated my own eyes that day,” Cortez said.
Cortez visited a growing memorial for the victims that was formed on the side of 140th Avenue Southeast.
"I couldn't sleep. Ever since that happened, I know I'm not the one that caused it, but for some reason, I still feel grief," she said.
Two other children are still recovering in Harborview; one is still in critical condition, and the other is in serious condition. The 18-year-old who is suspected to have caused the crash is also in critical condition.