A Las Vegas family is spending their final hours with their 6-year-old son at Rady Children’s Hospital.
The boy was critically injured when the family's car was hit by a suspected drunk driver in Murrieta earlier this week. Friday, they shared their heartbreak, as well as a powerful message.
While they’re still visibly recovering from their injuries, the Sanchez-Rodriguez family says it's no longer their bruises and fractures causing their pain.
"The physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional pain that we’ve been going through right now," Moses Rodriguez said.
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Joceline and Moses Sanchez-Rodriguez's first-born child Ian was declared brain dead following a crash involving an alleged drunk driver early Monday morning.
"It's a nightmare," Moses said."I keep hoping I'm just going to wake up from, you know — It's awful.”
The family says they were on their way back from visiting family members in Tijuana when a suspected drunk driver hit their car in Murrieta.
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Jocelyn and their youngest son, who is 4 years old, suffered minor injuries, while Moses and Ian were critically injured.
"A person under the influence changed our lives completely," Moses said.
Over the next few days, Ian will be taken off life support. His family plans to honor his memory by donating his organs.
"We’re going to donate his organs because that's just the type of kid Ian was, always wanted to help out. He was such a loving kid," Moses said.
A loving kid who at just 6 years old captured the hearts of so many with his outgoing and vibrant personality.
"He's a huge Bad Bunny fan so he would always ask me to play a Bad Bunny song and he would start dancing.”
While the family is still trying to process the loss of their son, they hope their story prevents others from driving under the influence.
"Be more responsible, know that you are under the influence, know that you need to get a ride or something, get an Uber. That's when the compassion part comes into play, know that you're not the only one on the road," Moses said.
Police arrested the suspect, 26-year-old Isaiah Orona, according to Riverside County records. He was booked on felony DUI charges.
