He died being a hero,’ brother says of 12-year-old who saved mom, nephew iHe died being a hero,’ brother says of 12-year-old who saved mom, nephew in DFW crashn DFW crash

Even at 12 years old, Victor Garcia always took care of his mother.

He would ask her how she was feeling and worry about her health. If she was not feeling well, he would get her a glass of water or offer to go on a walk with her.

And on Dec. 23, when a van careened toward Victor, his mother and his nephew, Victor pushed her out of the way and took the brunt of the impact himself.

He died shortly afterward at the hospital in Las Colinas.

“He was just one of a kind,” Victor’s brother, Adrian Garcia, said. “I think he died being a hero.”

Garcia, 28, and other family members gathered Friday in Carrollton at a makeshift memorial on the street where Victor died. A mound of stuffed animals, candles and balloons were piled on the curb near Fiesta Mart in the 1400 block of South Josey Lane.

A framed photo of Victor was propped in the middle of the pile.

The 12-year-old doted on his parents and was known for showering family members with hugs, Garcia said. Victor told his mom he would care for her until she was old and promised his dad he would take him around the world one day.

Every day, when his mom dropped him off at DeWitt Perry Middle School, the sixth-grader gave her a hug and told her he loved her.

Victor worried about his parents’ finances, too. Like any kid, he sometimes asked for toys that were expensive. But if he got them, he would carefully preserve the box and packaging.

“He would tell my dad, ‘I’m going to save these just in case you need money, and we need to return it,’” Garcia said.

His caring personality extended to the rest of the family. He refused to leave his brother’s house in Fort Worth without giving him, his wife and his child a hug.

Sometimes, Garcia cautioned his dad against spoiling Victor.

“But my dad never listened to me, and I think it was for a reason,” Garcia said. “I think that God knew my brother was going to be here for a short time, and God already had plans for him.”

Victor, his mother — Carolina Ramirez — and his 7-year-old nephew walked to Fiesta Mart on Dec. 23 to buy food for Christmas dinner. They lived about half a mile away and often walked to the store.

After shopping, the three walked toward South Josey Lane at about 1 p.m. Victor turned to his mother and gave her a hug on the sidewalk and told her he loved her, as he often did, Garcia said.

As they walked on the sidewalk, a red van veered toward them, according to Carrollton police. The driver later told officers he swerved to avoid a car that unexpectedly stopped in front of him.

Victor yelled for his mother to be careful and shoved her away, hard. His mom grabbed his nephew’s hand, and the van hit Victor head on.

“Because he pushed her away, he didn’t have a chance to move away,” Garcia said.

The 7-year-old only had minor injuries. Victor was rushed to the hospital.

Garcia was working in Fort Worth when the accident happened. He got a call from his mother’s phone, but when he picked up, he heard a stranger’s voice. In the background, he heard his mother screaming: “My son! My son!”

The man told Garcia he had been asked to call him, and someone had been hit by a car.

When he heard the full story, Garcia wanted to immediately go to the hospital to see his brother, but his sister asked him to go to the scene instead to help his mom.

“So I thought: ‘OK, my brother should be fine at the hospital. He should be taken care of,’” Garcia said.

After being at the scene for some time, however, Garcia realized something was not right. He saw a crime scene investigator pull up and start taking photos. A pastor walked toward the family with a box of Kleenex and asked to talk.

“He couldn’t make it,” Garcia said. “They tried to bring him back at the hospital.”

Carrollton police are investigating the accident.

Since then, the family has struggled to come to terms with losing Victor, especially so close to Christmas.

“I know this pain will probably never end as a brother, but I just cannot imagine how my mom feels,” Garcia said. “Losing a brother is really tough, but losing a son in those type of conditions that he died, it’s got to be super hard for her. We’re giving her the support she needs.”

On Christmas, Victor’s family, which has lived in Carrollton since 2004, held a vigil for Victor. They released hundreds of balloons into the sky, and Garcia said many people they didn’t even know attended to support the family.

“I feel happy for him for that,” Garcia said about Victor.

Garcia said the community has given them emotional and financial support. He started a GoFundMe campaign to pay for Victor’s funeral, which is Dec. 31. As of Saturday night, it had raised nearly $29,000.

“We’re going to remember him as a hero,” Garcia said. “He’s always going to be in our hearts.”

Victor Garcia, 12, died when he pushed his mother and nephew out of the way of a van that hit him on the sidewalk on Dec. 23 on South San Josey Lane in Carrollton. A make-shift memorial was erected near the spot he was hit. KALEY JOHNSON [email protected]