SAN ANTONIO – The woman who lost both her husband and son in a crash almost two weeks ago said someone is now trying to use her tragedy to make money. She said a woman pretending to be related to her husband was caught on camera fundraising.
The video, now viewed thousands of times on Facebook, shows a woman claiming to be related to the man and boy killed in a head-on crash with an 18-wheeler on FM 1937.
In the video, a woman leans over the counter at a barbershop and says tearfully, "Victor, he was killed instantly along with Christopher. My sister-in-law, they had to cut the truck to get her out."
The woman said her sister-in-law is Delilah Chavarria, who was in the truck when it crashed. However, Chavarria is calling it a scam.
"So many people inboxing me. 'What's this? Why is she doing this? Who is this lady?,'" Chavarria said.
She said the woman is not related to her husband Victor, or her 12-year-old son Christopher who also died in the accident.
"I'm trying to mourn privately," she said. "I'm trying to make myself strong because I still have two other kids, and this is just irritating. Irritating and it hurts."
In the video, the woman continues to talk to the man behind the counter, pulling out her phone, saying, "This is a picture of the kids in the hospital. This is the baby, he was thrown from the car seat. We're asking for help if y'all could help us."
Tony Lopez, the man who took the video, owns AJ's Fresh Line Up barbershop where the woman was asking for money. Lopez said he was skeptical of the woman's story, so he posted the video to Facebook.
Chavarria saw it Thursday afternoon just hours after husband and son's funeral. She said her family does have a legitimate GoFundMe account and held two fundraisers for funeral expenses.
"My husband, my child, they're buried, they're gone. I don't need any funds from anyone. I'm not asking for donations. Don't believe anybody if they use this story," she said.
She suggests people try to verify fundraisers before giving someone money.
Chavarria, and her two other children survived the crash. Her 2-year-old, who was thrown from the truck, has a cast on his leg. The 11-year-old injured his leg and spleen, and needed facial reconstruction.
Both children are out of the hospital and recovering.