HOUSTON, Texas — Happy memories David Tzic captured with his family this past Valentine's Day will be cherished forever.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do without them,” said Tzic. "Looking back at the videos, I’m so happy I saved them. I’m so happy I can reflect on that despite the outcome.”
Tzic's youngest son Ezekiel. who he described as a bundle of joy, only made it to 9 months of age. He died Wednesday along with Tzic's wife, Lupe, in what the Harris County Sheriff’s Office believes was a chain-reaction crash on the Grand Parkway near 290.
Their Toyota 4Runner flipped over the guardrail, landed on its roof, then flipped again on the ground after being struck by another car.
“I’m happy that it was quick," said Tzic. "I’m happy that she didn’t have to suffer and I know that while she’s up right now in the sky, I just know she needed to take Ezekiel with her.”
Ezekiel’s big brother, Isaiah, was also in the car during the crash. He was critically injured.
Tzic has spent every day with Isaiah at Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital. A blanket featuring Isaiah’s favorite Marvel character, Spiderman, helps keep him warm.
"Of course, I want him to recover to the fullest," said Tzic. "But, you know, whatever God gives us is what I’ll take.”
Tzic said he knew something was wrong Wednesday when his wife's location on an app stayed at the same place too long and she didn't answer his calls.
Tzic and his family started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral and medical expenses as the Army reservist tries to muster the courage to deal with the grief that hasn’t fully set in.
It's something that will likely reoccur when he views family videos on his phone.
“I don’t know if I find it okay to ask “why did you take them?” said Tzic. "But I’m sure somewhere there’s a reason why.”
Tzic said he is grateful for the hospital staff and sheriff’s office personnel.
Investigators said the crash, which involved up to four vehicles, remains under investigation.