Evelyn Medina is in critical condition and on a ventilator. Doctors worry she could be paralyzed from the neck down.
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"We're Catholic," Evelyn's older sister, Miriam Medina, told ABC13 through tears on Thursday, after she rushed home from college to care for her entire family. "We try to have faith, and we know a miracle's going to happen, and my sister's going to be able to walk and run like before. She's going to get better."
The tragic events began on an idyllic Sunday night. Evelyn Medina and her parents had gone to a flea market on Airline, in Houston's northside, to do some shopping. At about 7:45 p.m., the family called an Uber for a ride home.
A light-colored van picked up the family, turned from Airline to Gulf Bank, and drove toward the North Freeway. That's when a white F-350 truck rear-ended the Uber, but it didn't stop.
SEE ALSO: 3-year-old in critical condition after family riding in Uber was involved in crash, HPD says
Much to the Medinas' horror, their Uber followed the truck. In a new surveillance video obtained by ABC13, the F-350 and the van were seen driving fast down Gulf Bank. Minutes later, along the North Freeway service road, the truck made a U-turn under I-45 to drive off, while the Uber crashed out into a traffic control box. That's when Evelyn was critically injured.
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"She can see us. She can hear us, but right now, she can't breathe on her own; she has a tube right now," Miriam said.
Both of Evelyn's parents were also injured. Her father suffered a severe gash to his head, a black eye, and multiple stitches.
So far, neither the truck driver nor the Uber driver have been charged.
"It is bizarre that we don't have some answers at this point," Alex Farias-Sorrels, the attorney representing the Medina family, said. "As far as we knew, the first driver was intoxicated and fled the scene, and nothing has been done."
The Houston Police Department did say the truck driver may have been intoxicated but is currently waiting for test results. HPD told ABC13 that the Harris County District Attorney's Office had someone on the scene the night of the crash but wanted more investigative work to be completed before accepting criminal charges.
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"A little girl has almost lost her life and is fighting for her life," Farias-Sorrels said. "The family needs some answers, and multiple people need to be held responsible."
The Medina family has never had it easy. Their father works in construction to support his wife and three children. Miriam was an exceptional student, graduating from HISD under the Emerge program for talented, underprivileged students. She is currently attending Johns Hopkins University on a full scholarship but doesn't know if she will be able to continue her studies given her family's situation.
"We were not rich in money, but we were rich in love and a close-knit family," the 19-year-old, who wanted her little sister to have everything she never had growing up, said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family pay for the mounting medical bills.
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