Family, friends mourn 2 Pasco crash victims

A young mother and an Army enlistee were being mourned Monday by family and friends following a deadly weekend pileup.

Social media posts are filled with condolences and fond memories about Flora E. Leal, 22, and Mariah M. Loera, 20.

The Pasco women died early Sunday when Loera lost control while driving on Interstate 82 west of Benton City.

Leal, a single mother with a 4-year-old daughter, was riding with Loera.

Relatives and friends on Facebook were remembering Leal as being full of joy and always willing to offer emotional support to her friends.

“Flora lived boldly and always spoke her mind,” said her mother, Concepcion Chapa, on a GoFundMe page to raise money for her daughter’s funeral. “To say that we miss her is an understatement.”

Loera, a 2015 Kennewick High graduate, was remembered as a fun woman who recently enlisted in the Army. She was to start her service Nov. 6.

Washington State Patrol troopers are continuing to investigate what happened in the collision that blocked the interstate for several hours Sunday morning.

Loera was driving a Nissan Pathfinder east on the freeway at 5:20 a.m. when she drifted off the road and over-corrected, flipping the car. Both women were wearing seat belts, but Leal was partially thrown from the car, the state patrol said.

Their car was then hit by a Honda Accord. Loera was killed when she went to talk with the second driver and she was struck by a third car.

Anyone interested in helping the family with medical expenses can visit bit.ly/LealFundraiser and bit.ly/LoeraFundraiser.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Family, friends mourn 2 Pasco crash victims."