TAMPA, Fla. — Two families of tragedy are now working together to bring about change.
ABC Action News has learned the family of Jessica Raubenolt and her 21-month-old daughter Lilia, who were hit and killed on Bayshore Boulevard reached out to another family who lost a loved on the very same day.
On May 23, 63-year-old Leila Reid was struck and killed as she tried crossing 40th Street in Tampa.
"It has to be for a reason because know their loss is so hurtful and I am so sorry for them," said Angel Reid, Leila's daughter.
She and her partner Jeff Cabrera were over taken with emotion reacting to a Facebook post from Jessica Raubenolt's two siblings. The posts asks to help the Reid family.
"Tampa should come with a travel warning. Their story is not getting as much news coverage. Their pain is our pain," it read in part.
"They are going through a tragedy right now and they lost two! For them to reach out to us, I can not tell you how much that means," said Reid.
Cabrera said the families have not met, but hope to make Tampa roads safer. He has spoken to Jessica's uncle, John Reisinger.
"Tragedies like this turn you into advocates and now we are advocates for the same cause," said Cabrera.
Both families want more changes.
Bayshore did reduce it's speed from 40 to 35 and there is now a crosswalk on 40th, but the improvements came too late for these victims.
"We want to make a platform. We want to stand out. We want people to pay attention this should not have happened and this could be prevented every time you get behind the wheel," said Reid.
"We want to respect each other's grieving time but I do not believe in coincidences necessarily is a bigger plan here," said Cabrera.
"We are the ones left here we have to do something for them. We have to do something to say we cared," said Reid.
The 23-year-old driver in the case that hit Leila Reid has not been charged.
In the Bayshore case, 18-year-old Cameron Herrin faces two counts of vehicular homicide.
The driver of the other car, 17-year-old John Barrineau is a juvenile detention center.
Sources tell Action News that the State Attorney plans on charging him as an adult. They have 21 days from the time of the arrest.
Families of the victims have set up GoFundMe accounts. You can visit the Reid family's here, and the Raubenolt's here.
