Mother, 6-Year-Old Son Remembered After Deadly Carver Co. Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A mother and her 6-year-old son died in a car crash on an icy road near Norwood Young America Saturday. Her husband and surviving 4-year-old son are now in serious condition.

The Minnesota State Patrol says the Lester Prairie family was traveling eastbound in Carver County on Highway 212 when they spun out and were broadsided by a Ford Ranger.

Angelica Salas, 29, died from her injuries. So did her 6-year-old son, Jorge Jr.

Now, family members are remembering the mother and son.

More than 1,500 miles south and in a climate that seems a world away is where Angelica and Jorge met. Angelica grew up in Mexico. She chose Jorge as her husband.

Lester Prairie is where they decided to make a home. With a heavy heart, Angelica's first cousin, Jose Amaya, talked to WCCO.

"She worked hard. When they first moved here, she didn't know any English, but she tried hard," Amaya said.

Amaya says she conquered the language and got a job in a New Germany factory. She became a mom to little Jorge Jr. six years ago, and her youngest, Omar, is now four.

"Pretty sad," Amaya said.

That's just about all there is to say about what happened on Saturday.

"Vehicle lost control into oncoming traffic and was struck. The two occupants were killed in that vehicle. Sadly, a young child was one of them and a parent," Lt. Eric Roeske with the Minnesota State Patrol said.

Now, Jorge Sr. is seriously injured and so is Omar.

The cause of the crash troopers say was not unusual, but the result was.

"We handle hundreds of vehicle off the roads -- spin-outs -- per day, but at the wrong place and the wrong time, it can be deadly," Roeske said.

Even though the wrong time turned into a family's worst time, their hopes are up high.

"They're gonna have a happy life up there," Amaya said.

The driver in the truck that struck the family is a 33-year-old man from Excelsior. He suffered non-life threatening injuries.

No arrest or citations were issued. The investigation is still ongoing.

Roeske says seven people have died since Monday. Most of them involved weather-related spinoffs. He's hoping people will slow down and take a moment to realize even though we may be used to snow and ice -- even a spinoff can turn deadly.

The family has set up a fund to get help for funeral costs. You can also visit their CaringBridge page.