Family mourns 23 year-old mother who died in crash caused by unlicensed teen driver

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A grieving Tulare County family is sharing their loved one's story after a young mother's life was claimed in a crash caused by an unlicensed teen.

"A beautiful soul. Very caring, loving, funny, in so many ways," said Johana Robles, sister of 23-year-old Jessica Velazquez.

Velazquez was a mother who loved her daughter and her job working with kids at a Visalia after-school program.

"She (Velazquez) was just full of life," expresses Johana.

Jessica's life was cut short on Monday in a crash believed to be caused by an unlicensed 19-year-old driver.

The California Highway Patrol says for unknown reasons, the 19-year-old driver of a BMW veered onto the left lane, colliding with the driver's side of a Jeep, causing the Jeep to veer off the road.

CHP Officer Adrian Gonzalez says, "The sedan BMW remained in the roadway, and the driver was able to exit that vehicle before the vehicle was fully engulfed."

The driver was taken to the hospital, where she is recovering from injuries.

Jessica and her 2-year-old daughter were also taken to the hospital. Jessica passed away just after midnight the following day.

'I just remember walking into the room, seeing her face," recalls Johana. "All I could do was hug her face and give her kisses to her cold body."

Johana was the last person to see Jessica before the crash.

She recalls, "I hugged my sister and I told her I loved her. I was going to bed, I waited for her text message, so I got ready for bed and lay down. I was reading my bible and I was falling asleep, so I closed my eyes and I didn't pay attention to the time. I woke up to the phone call from my mom crying, saying my niece was on her way to the hospital and so was my sister."

Johana had also reminded her sister to drive safely.

"Remember, there are others out there. There are people driving. There are children. You have to be careful. At the moment, we can be so blind, naive and not think about it, but you guys have to really be considerate of your surroundings."

Johana and her husband are currently caring for their niece.

The family says they are thankful they didn't lose both, with Jessica's young daughter left with only some bruising.

Jessica's family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.

The California Highway Patrol says the investigation is going to be extensive. It will be at least several weeks before it's complete.

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