Mom of 2 Taken Off Life Support Days After Sustaining ‘Catastrophic Brain Injuries’ in Multi-Car Crash

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 42-year-old mother Michele Guarino died in a multi-car crash in South Carolina

• Victim’s sister said her brother’s car was found “wrecked” when he arrived at the crash scene

• His sister wrote: “I am relieved to believe that it happened so quickly and that he did not know what happened and was not in pain.”

A mother of two died in a multi-car crash in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) said the crash occurred at 7:20 a.m. local time on Friday, February 20, on Highway 378 in Lexington County. WIS and FOX member watch.

A Ford pickup truck and a Nissan SUV were driving on opposite sides of the highway when the Ford struck the Nissan as the SUV turned left onto Spring Hill Road, troopers said. The Ford then hit a Cadillac SUV that was turning onto the highway.

The driver of the Nissan was identified as Michele Guarino, according to CBS affiliate WLTX – was transported to Prisma Health Richland after the accident. He died three days later on Monday, February 23.

SCHP did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Michele’s sister, Marissa Guarino, said her sister suffered “catastrophic brain injuries” in the crash and was placed on life support before she died: According to a message on GoFundMe. He was 42 years old and left behind two young daughters.

“I am relieved that it happened so quickly, that she did not know what happened and that she was not in pain,” Marissa wrote at the fundraiser. “I’m grateful for that. But his absence will be felt deeply and permanently in our family.”

Before learning what happened to her sister, Marissa told WLTX she received a notification on her phone that there had been a serious accident. When she and her husband arrived at the scene, they saw that her sister’s car had been involved in an accident.

“When we got there, we saw that it was his car. It was destroyed. The front part was destroyed. The airbags inside the car had exploded,” he recalls.

The family said Michele donated her organs to five people, according to WLTX.

“He was always empathetic when he heard tragic stories like this,” Marissa said. “To save other lives so that other people don’t have to go through this.”

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More than $167,000 has been raised through GoFundMe for Michele’s daughters, with donations directed to “securing their future and ensuring they have the support, resources and opportunities that Michele will work tirelessly to give them.”

“No child should have to lose a parent at this age,” Marissa wrote. “While we cannot ease their pain, we can stand by them and help Michele live the life she dreamed of for her babies.”

Read the original article People