Rio Linda Woman Hurt In Suspected DUI Crash Speaks Out, Asks For Justice
RIO LINDA (CBS13) — She can barely walk from her injuries after the crash, but with the strength of her family by her side, Ciara Villegas sat down with CBS13 to tell her story about what happened last month.
The extent of her injuries are hard to talk about, and we want to warn you the images from her journey to recovery are equally hard to see.
Ciara Villegas at age 31, is planning her son RJ's funeral. This month she would be celebrating her baby shower.
"I question it daily, like why couldn't it have been me instead of my baby?" Villegas said.
She's finally home in Rio Linda after almost a month in the hospital.
"I'm in a lot of pain, so much pain," she said.
Her injuries include a broken bone in almost every part of her body, a lacerated liver, a punctured spleen and a brain injury. The post-traumatic brain injury makes it hard to remember what happened the night of this crash.
READ ALSO: DUI Suspect Will Not Be Charged For Vehicular Manslaughter In Death Of Premature Baby
"It's hard for me to remember right now, so hard for me to remember," Villegas said.
But she does remember this from that night: "I go to my moms, I park at the gate, and I get out of the car. As I'm out of the car, and I'm turning around, I see this SUV coming."
That's when she said, everything went black.
"I don't remember the impact after that, I just remember crying. I must've been in shock to where I couldn't feel the impact," she said.
Her partner and RJ's father, Ricky Monteer, watched it happened.
"My whole world. It stopped right there. I couldn't believe what just happened and I was jumping out of the car, yelling, "Oh my god, Oh my God, Oh my God!"
He was by her side as they were rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section.
"It's heartbreaking, just like reliving it with her," Monteer said.
The first and last pictures of baby RJ are hard to see. He passed away shortly after this photo was taken.
READ: Family: Baby Boy Delivered Early After Mom Hit By DUI Suspect In Rio Linda Has Died
"He was just laying on my chest, and I can tell he was tired of fighting for his life," Villegas said. "I held him until he took his last breath."
"To have him come and go so fast, that's not right. Nobody should have to go through that," Monteer said.
The community has come together to celebrate baby RJ's short life. Now that Villegas is home, she relives the crash every night and tells us one thing is missing for her to move forward.
"I want justice for him, I want justice for my son," Villegas said.
Despite the long recovery ahead, both emotional and physical, Villegas says she's thankful for all the support shes received from the Rio Linda community.
The Chamber of Commerce is hosting a benefit in her honor on May 26th at Rio Linda Depot Park from 11am-5pm, to help with her medical expenses.
