A tragic collision on Harry Wurzbach Road claimed the life of 28-year-old Karina Ramirez last week, as she was moments away from reaching home with two young passengers. According to KSAT, Ramirez's stepdaughter, 9-year-old Skyla Wolford, recalls the harrowing incident that also left her and her 7-year-old sister, Aliyah Frautschi, injured. San Antonio police have arrested Colin McGuane, 45, on charges of intoxication manslaughter/assault, a detail missing from his mugshot, which was not made available.
In a terrifying event salvaged by a flicker of bravery, Karina Ramirez uttered her last words, urging the girls to safety. "She told me, 'Granny, Karina screamed so loud and then we all started screaming. We saw bright lights coming, then it seemed like the lights were spinning around. She said, 'Get out girls! Get out!'", recalled the girls' grandmother, Eashonne Wolford, in a statement obtained by KENS 5. Two women helped the girls out of the car as danger loomed with fuel leaking from the wreck.
The family is grappling with the loss, as Naomi Smith, Wolford's mother, stated to KSAT, "We’re suffering. Her other side of the family is suffering. Karina’s family is suffering." Both Skyla and her sister are now out of the hospital and are in recovery, with Skyla having sustained a broken jaw and Aliyah a broken leg. The accident has reopened wounds for Wolford, who has previously lost children to gun violence and now mourns Karina while advocating for stricter penalties against drunk driving. "When are we going to stop? When's this going to stop?" she told KENS 5. Skyla has been making cards to thank the nurses and first responders who helped them post-collision.
Memories remain as tangible testimonials of the departed, with Skyla holding closely to a silver bracelet gifted by Ramirez, as part of a promise for nine charms, representing the young girl's age. In the confrontation with mortality, such mementos, and the selfless actions of individuals like the rescuing women, emerge not just as markers of love, but as beacons amid the unraveling darkness of grief. As Smith mentioned to KSAT, her daughter's survival owed much to the helpers that night, saying, "There is no way that I could thank them enough for being there for my daughter and for her sibling and her stepmom at that time."
