A grieving father has shared his heartbreak after his son and daughter died in a horror accident allegedly caused by his wife trying to break up a fight in the back seat.
Ty Porter said his “heart breaks because I can’t wake up to the smiles” of his daughter Evie, 11, and son Tate, 9, after they tragically died Wednesday morning in Arizona.
Police said the children’s mother, Dani Hancock Porter, 36, who survived, “may have been distracted” when her vehicle collided with a tow truck on the shoulder of the highway.
“From what I understand, it was kids playing loudly, fighting in the back seat, or some type of thing that distracted her from the road, from what she told us,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves told AZFamily.
In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Ty shared memories of his children and said they were “my whole world.”
Ty Porter (center) shared his heartbreak after his wife Dani Hancock Porter, 36, crashed into a truck Wednesday morning, tragically killing their daughter Evie, 11, and son Tate, 9 .
Authorities said they believe Dani was distracted breaking up a backseat fight between her children when she crashed into a truck on the side of the road.
‘I will always remember you like this,’ the grieving father said, sharing images of his son and daughter playing sports, enjoying days at the beach and smiling in family photos.
“Being your dad has been the best part of my existence,” he wrote. ‘Training you. Teaching you. Learning from you. Making too many memories to count. Cheering you up. Loving you.
‘Your brilliance will live on through the many people you have blessed with your love and friendship.
‘I will miss you very much. My heart breaks because I can’t wake up to your smiles. I can’t hear that incredible laugh. That we can’t play ball together. That I can no longer encourage you and train you from the sidelines.
‘That we can’t have our talks in my truck or answer many questions about life. Our trips to Heber to disconnect and create memories.
‘I will miss that I can no longer put you to bed at night and tell you how proud you make me. I’ll miss giving you daddy hugs.’
Ty shared a heartbreaking post on Facebook about his children’s passing, saying his “heart breaks because I can’t wake up to smiles.”
Just weeks before the tragedy, Ty also shared a trip he took Tate on to see his first concert and attend an Imagine Dragons performance, saying he was “so happy to get to spend some time with him as a brother.”
The children’s mother, Dani (right), was also hospitalized in the tragedy.
He said the time he spent with his children were “the best years of my life” and “I can’t understand how I do this without you with me.”
Just weeks before the tragedy, Ty also shared a trip he took Tate on to see her first concert and attend an Imagine Dragons performance.
He said the band was his son’s “favorite” and that he was “counting the days since I surprised him with the tickets.”
“It was a very fun night and I am very happy to have been able to spend some time with him and be part of his first concert,” the father wrote.
The accident occurred around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday morning when Porter’s vehicle collided with a tow truck stopped on the side of the road while driving “at a significant speed.”
Another child, 6 years old, was also in the vehicle when the accident occurred and suffered minor injuries, while Porter was hospitalized.
Ty shared memories of his children while paying tribute to them: “I will miss not being able to go to bed at night and tell you how proud you make me. I will miss giving you daddy hugs
Authorities said the children died instantly in the tragedy and said they “didn’t stand a chance and it’s very sad.”
Graves told AZFamily after the collision: ‘Suffice it to say that the force of the impact was such that not only did it sever the right side of the van they were traveling in, but they died instantly from the force of the impact.
“They didn’t have a chance and it’s very sad.”
The tow truck driver was not injured after the accident.
The driver of the pickup truck does not face any criminal charges, but could be charged with misdemeanor distracted driving, DPS said.
‘Slow down, pay attention. Don’t be distracted by things in your car if you have children,’ Graves advised. ‘Stay away from the cell phone. Of course, do not drive under the influence of alcohol or while fatigued.
