A father has written a poignant tribute to his two children who tragically lost their lives in a car accident.
On October 23, Tate and Evie Porter were involved in a fatal crash on the Loop 202 in Mesa, Arizona.
Their mother, Dani Hancock Porter, who was driving the vehicle, survived but required hospitalization.
Fortunately, Dani’s other child, who was also in the car, reportedly escaped without injury.
It is believed that the 36-year-old mother was momentarily distracted by her children who were ‘roughhousing’ in the backseat, leading to the accident.
Bart Graves from the Arizona Department of Public Safety Public Information Office explained to AZFamily: “As I understand it, it was kids playing loudly, roughhousing in the backseat, or some kind of thing that distracted her from the road, from what she told us.”
He further indicated that Tate and Evie likely died instantly in the tragic event.
Their father, Ty Porter, later took to Facebook to express his grief and honor the memory of his beloved children.
He poignantly began, “I will always remember you this way.”
He continued, “You were my whole world. Your kindness, your strength, your ability to make everyone feel welcome, your humor, your smile that can light up the whole room.”
Ty shared his sorrow: “I will miss you so dearly. My heart breaks that I cannot wake up to your smiles. That I can’t hear that amazing laugh. That we can’t play catch together. That I can’t cheer you on and coach you from the sidelines any longer. That we can’t have our talks in my truck or answering you many questions about life. Our drives up to Heber to unplug and make memories.
“I will miss that I no longer get tuck you in at night and tell you how proud you make me. I will miss giving you daddy snuggles.”
He added, “I cannot understand how I do this without you with me.”
“I hope I can always feel you near me. I hope your Mom, brother and sister will feel your love and now we can be together forever again.”
In another message, Ty encouraged people to share memories, videos, and photos of Evie and Tate via email.
A GoFundMe page has been established to support the family, with donations exceeding $163,000 at the time of writing.
If you wish to contribute to the fundraiser, you can do so here.
If you’re dealing with a loss and need someone to talk to, contact The Compassionate Friends at (877) 969-0010 for confidential support.