LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Family and friends are in mourning after a deadly car crashover weekend, on Cheyenne Avenue in the northwest valley, took the life of a mom and sent her kids to the hospital.
"Hearing that the kids had to see that and had to endure it and then, the mother wasn't able to make it, is tragic because it puts me in that place right away. So it's kind of hard for me to reconcile that," said Las Vegas resident Ryan Rappaport.
Rappaport has three kids of his own.
"One of my children is driving, so I'm always conscious about what's going on for her on her own, let alone when I'm with them in the car," Rappaport said.
Nevada State Police says the crash involved one car in the eastbound lane of Cheyenne Avenue near Shadow Peak Road just off of I-215 on Sunday morning.
They say three kids are in the hospital and a woman died.
Channel 13 was at the scene on Sunday, the car and ground around it burned as a fire broke out sometime after the crash.
The Clark County Coroner has yet to identify the woman. However, on Monday, a close friend and co-worker to the woman told Channel 13 that her name is Samyia Johnson.
The woman visited the crash site on Monday and laid roses at the scene. She says her work also held a vigil for Johnson Monday.
She told Channel 13 off-camera that Johnson was a great friend, a light in the community, and cared deeply about her kids.
While police are still investigating how the crash happened, the co-worker tells me she believes it was an accident, saying she would never do anything to harm her children.
Despite there being no cause released, Nevada State Police posted on X Sunday, detailing a lifted closure from the crash and saying, "Please slow down, mobile off and seatbelts on."
There's still no indication if speed or distracted driving was involved in the crash.
Rappaport tells me it's a dangerous road though. It has a pass through right lane heading eastbound, where drivers don't have to stop for any lights.
He says it causes lots of confusion and he has seen crashes in the area before.
"I get tentative when I'm passing through on that lane. I slow down, for me, cause I'm a little bit nervous," Rappaport said.
Johnson's co-worker tells Channel 13 the family is just looking for community support at this time. She says the family needs help with the children in the hospital.
Here's a link to the GoFundMe Page the family created.
