HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Like most first-graders, Giselle Garcia loved her toys, bike, school, and, above all, her massive family.
Two dozen cousins, more than a dozen aunts and uncles, her brothers, mother and other family and friends are now mourning the sudden loss of their little “Gigi.”
“We love her so much, and we’re going to miss her, terribly,” said her aunt Rosario Tobar fighting back tears. “She touched so many people. She was beautiful.”
On Friday, Gigi and a teenage family friend were riding an ATV in a northeast Harris County neighborhood when it collided with and was crushed by an SUV.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the initial investigation showed the ATV did not yield.
Gigi survived the initial impact, but the brain injury was too severe. Family and friends said goodbye on Monday.
“I think initially it was shocking, because like I said we thought, you know, she would pull through,” Tobar said. “But just heartbreak. Heartbreak because she’s so young. She had her whole life ahead of her.”
Gigi was one of five cousins about the same age.
“They’re going to miss her a lot. They’ve cried a lot for her,” Tobar said.
In her final act, Gigi will save the lives of other children in need by donating her organs.
“It is going to be done. And we’re in that process right now of matching her, and she’s going to be a blessing to many,” Tobar added. “She’s our little hero.”
The family of the child has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses.