The sister of a 20-year-old woman killed in a crash in Poway earlier this week said the victim texted their mother 30 minutes before the deadly collision.
When Alicia Farley heard that her sister, Samantha Bennett had been killed in a crash, she didn't believe it. She told NBC 7 she thought it was a sick joke.
But, it's real. Now, the shock and pain of losing her sister are setting in.
"It wasn't supposed to be her. It could have been anybody else but her. It wasn't real until today,” Farley told NBC 7.
Bennett was behind the wheel of a 2010 Ford Focus Tuesday at around 8:15 a.m., driving westbound on Scripps Poway Parkway near State Route 67. She was accompanied by a 19-year-old friend.
For unknown reasons -- possibly after falling asleep at the wheel, according to the preliminary investigation -- Bennett veered off the road and rear-ended a Sparkletts truck that had broken down on the shoulder.
Investigators said there was no sign the Bennet applied her brakes before the crash, leading them to theorize that the young woman may have fallen asleep while driving.
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Farley said Bennett texted her mom about a half-hour before the deadly crash and did not mention anything about being tired. Bennett and her friend were on their way home from Barona Casino at the time of the accident.
The passenger, whose name was not released by officials, suffered a serious leg injury, injuries to her pelvis, chest contusions and other injuries. She is in critical condition.
"She doesn't remember at all," Farley told NBC 7, speaking of Bennett's friend. "She remembers them being at the casino. She remembers them having breakfast. She doesn't remember anything else."
Farley said her sister was one of the original members of the lacrosse team at Poway High School. She graduated in 2015.
"She was amazing, very amazing,” Farley said.
She described Bennett as someone who loved her family and was devoted to Farley's young sons and her rescue pit bull.
"She wanted to be a nurse. She loved people; she loved hiking. Everything was about animals. Anything that could be a pet, she needed to have," she said.
The family is keeping Bennett's funeral arrangements private; instead of flowers, the family asks for donations to the San Diego County Humane Society as a tribute to Bennett's love of animals.
"I want everybody to just be happy for her. She's gone but finally happy somewhere else,” Farley added.
