Tracey Gross, a 51-year-old cyclist, has been on life support since she was hit by a suspected hit-and-run driver on State Route 76 in Oceanside on St. Patrick's Day.
On Friday night, Gross's family members and Scripps Green Hospital staff took an honor walk. It's a tradition for many donors on life support before harvesting their organs.
"I think she held out long enough for everyone to see her and see her off,“ Angel Smith, Gross’s daughter, said.
For her two children, it’s a moment met with great pain.
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“I feel lost and angry. I am so mad," Alec Perez, Gross's son, said. "Who could do something like this?"
But it is also a moment met with great pride.
“A lot of people are going to benefit from this, all the organs. She took really good care of herself,“ Smith said.
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By all accounts, Gross was devoted to eating healthy and fitness. She biked everywhere, even to and from the post office, where she was a mail carrier.
“A good loving mother to everyone, not just me, not just my sister, everyone,“ Perez said.
That fateful night, Gross was biking home from her boyfriend’s house. Investigators say she was struck by a silver Kia Optima built between 2013 and 2015 on SR-76 at Singh Way at around 11:30 on Sunday.
Gross was found in the roadway, suffering major injuries. First responders found the cyclist, and they found debris from the car that hit her — but no bike.
The bike was found two miles west, near College Boulevard. Family members believe that’s how far the hit-and-run driver dragged it.
Smith was in her Florida home when she got the call.
“I was just hyperventilating. I couldn’t believe it because I had just talked to her the night before,“ Smith said.
Perez lived with his mom. Because she was unconscious, he was called to identify her.
“There's no way they just hit her and didn’t see it or didn’t hear it. They know they did wrong,“ Perez said.
Gross survived the week only with the help of life support. After Friday’s honor walk, she was taken off of it.
“She was my best friend. I didn’t have a sister, but we got along so well. She would call me every night. I lost my best friend, my mom,“ Smith said.
Gross's daughter is surrounded by family and friends, most of whom are looking for closure with the capture of the hit-and-run driver. However, Smith is more focused on preserving her mother’s memory.
“I don’t want to know anything about them," Smith said. "Even if the law doesn’t catch them, karma will."
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up online to help support Gross' family with grief support and to seek justice for her death.
Oceanside police are on the lookout for the suspected hit-and-run driver. The silver Kia Optima — 2013 to 2015 model — is expected to have damage to the right front bumper and headlight. Police say the driver likely lives in the area where Gross was hit.
