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Mother whose son was killed in Peoria crash says she forgives woman who caused the accident

Posted at 5:44 PM, Dec 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-03 00:49:55-05

A Glendale mother says instead of preparing for the holidays, she is planning her son's funeral.

"Any parent, any mom, would say that their child is their world, he was my world," said Lourinda Yellowhair.

Yellowhair's pain is almost beyond words. Her world shattered after her son, Keighlob Yellowhair, 12, was killed in a violent crash at 87th Avenue and Deer Valley last Saturday.

"I saw him on Thanksgiving, that was the last time I saw him, was Thanksgiving, Saturday he was going to a youth group, that's what they were headed," said Yellowhair.

Yellowhair says Keighlob was with his foster parents, but the van they were in never made it to church.

Yellowhair says her other 7-year-old son was thrown from the crash but survived. 

"I can only imagine what she's going through right now, having to live with what she did, when she decided to run that stop sign," said Yellowhair of the woman who was driving the truck that hit the minivan carrying her children and five others.

Peoria police arrested Amber Sloan, 23, for reckless endangerment. Investigators say she was not impaired at the time of the crash, but what led up to it remains unclear. 

The foster parents and the other children were seriously hurt.

Yellowhair says they are still recovering and she has a message for Sloan.

"I would tell her God bless you, and I forgive you," said Yellowhair. "I'm a very forgiving person, but I know you will have to live with this every day," she added.

Yellowhair says she is now fighting to put up a traffic light at the intersection that claimed her sons life.
The family has set up an online account for funeral expenses. Those wishing to contribute can do so by clicking here.