A late-night drive home on Interstate 10 in East El Paso has left 15-year-old Sophia Ramirez on life support, and her family says they are preparing to let her go. Relatives say the crash left the teen with catastrophic injuries, including a severe brain bleed, a broken arm and trauma to her heart, and that doctors have found no brain activity. The family says they had been heading home from the airport when the collision happened and are now pleading for witnesses to come forward so investigators can piece together what went wrong.
What Happened On I-10
According to KFOX, the crash happened around 11 p.m. on Tuesday and shut down I-10 East near the Lee Trevino exit. The El Paso Fire Department told the station that four people were taken to local hospitals after the wreck, and relatives say one of those patients is Sophia. Authorities have not yet released an official cause of the crash as the investigation continues.
Family’s Account And Sophia’s Condition
Desiree Ramirez, Sophia’s mother, told KFOX that her daughter "has no brain activity" after suffering a severe brain bleed and that the teen went into cardiac arrest multiple times. The family says doctors have given them only a short window to say their goodbyes, and they are now making arrangements for a service while they prepare to remove her from life support.
Safety Concerns On A Dangerous Stretch
As outlined in City of El Paso materials, the local Vision Zero Action Plan maps a high-injury network on city streets and recommends engineering changes and speed-management strategies aimed at cutting down on serious crashes. Separately, TxDOT is conducting its Reimagine I-10 study to evaluate longer-term operational and design fixes for the corridor, which planners say are intended to address frequent, severe wrecks along the interstate.
Investigation And Call For Witnesses
Special Traffic Investigators with the El Paso Police Department are handling the crash investigation, and family members are urging anyone who saw the collision or has video from that stretch of I-10 to come forward. Tips can be submitted online or by calling the department's non-emergency line at (915) 832-4400 via the El Paso Police Department.
