TAMPA, FL -- A member of Mayor Iorios's Hispanic Leadership Council was killed and her daughter critically injured after they were both hit by a car at a Miami intersection on Thursday night.
Maria Carrillo, 48, was there with her teenage daughter Lilliana, who was was being honored with a college scholarship at a gala in Miami, but tragically, she didn't make it back to Tampa.
According to Miami-Dade Police, they had left the event they were attending when a red Honda CRV and a grey Toyota Tundra pick-up truck collided while going through an traffic light at Biscayne Boulevard, where the two were walking along the sidewalk.
The Tundra spun out of control, hitting both women, investigators say.
Carillo died at the scene. Authorities said she saw the initial accident and pushed her daughter out of the way moments before the car hit them, likely saving the teen's life.
Lilliana Carillo was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition. A family friend said she suffered multiple fractures to her ribs and face.
One of her lungs also collapsed, but friends said her condition has stabilized and she she should make a full recovery.
It's the type of action friend Paul Palacios said is typical of the woman she was.
"S
he always worried about someone else, she is a hero because she thinks of others first and never about herself," he said.
When the pair didn't return back to Tampa Friday, Carillo's husband nervously called Miami Police, who told them about 2 unidentified Hispanic women injured in a crash.
Investigators didn't release their names until he drove to Miami and made the identification.
Word spread quickly throughout the Hispanic community, in which both mother and daughter were active in.
It was heartbreaking news for Jimena Herrera, one of many Hispanic teens who considered Maria a second mom, because she spent years mentoring young latinos with her work for Hispanic Youth Voice, an organization she founded with Liliana.
"She always told us you can do, you're really smart you can do it don't let anyone put you down just really work for what you want and you'll achieve it. "
In addition to serving on the Mayor's council, Maria was also a founding member of the Hispanic Alliance, the founder of "TICH", a non-profit organization, and director of Hispanic Heritage, Inc.
But Palacios said that guiding the next generation to greatness was her passion.
"She is one of the best human beings on this planet, we will miss her very, very much words cannot express the hurt we feel in our hearts."
Miami-Dade Police say one of the drivers involved in the crash is expected to be charged, but investigators are still trying to determine which one.
The Honda driver was also injured but is expected to be OK.
