A Michigan mother has died after protecting her 5-year-old twins during a car crash.
Hillarie Galazka, 29, was driving home with her twin sons last week when her Saturn Ion was rear-ended on the entrance ramp of the I-96 near Davison, WJBK reported.
“Her body saved them,” Galazka’s mother, Jodie Kelley, told the outlet. “The boys say they saw her open her eyes, and look at them and then she closed her eyes, never opened them again. They remember that.”
The twins only suffered minor injuries because Galazka threw her body in front of the boys, accoring to Jodie, saying how her her body took the brunt of the impact.
“I’m just glad the babies survived a tragedy for the family,” Galazka’s brother, Jacob Galazka, said. “Everyone loves those kids. Everyone loves Hillarie. She is a good-hearted, strong, beautiful woman. She didn’t deserve this death.”
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The driver of the other vehicle is a 25-year-old man who has two prior convictions for driving on a suspended license, according to the Michigan State Police.
The man, whose identity has not been released by authorities, also had five current suspensions and a pair of local warrants out for his arrest.
He was located at a local hospital after fleeing the scene of the crash on foot and police say the man allegedly told them that he went to a nearby gas station and got a ride to the hospital.
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A spokesperson for the Michigan State Police tells PEOPLE an investigation is ongoing and police are awaiting blood results.
In a GoFundMe campaign set up to raise funds for her funeral, Galazka is described as a “strong loving mother.”
And in another fundraiser set up in support of her children, it was said her family will face “a long recovery process” following Galazka’s death.
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