Emily Sanchez, 18 was trying to rescue a wounded cat when she was hit and killed by a car.
An 18-year-old girl with a big heart was killed after she tried to help a wounded kitten lying in the middle of a desert road, authorities said.
Emily Sanchez was riding in the car that struck the cat Saturday night in California’s Apple Valley. She was so concerned about the small animal she told the driver to turn around so she could check on it.
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Shortly before 11 p.m., Sanchez stepped into the southbound lane of Kiowa Road and bent to pick up the kitten, but she was struck by a car, according to a statement from the Apple Valley Police Department.
The driver stopped immediately, called 911, and waited with the teenager until deputies and paramedics arrived, authorities said.
She died at a nearby hospital from severe head trauma, police said. The kitten was apparently killed on impact.
“If you knew Em, you knew that animals were her passion and love in life,” her sister, Jen Woods, wrote on a GoFundMe page established to help pay for burial costs.
“We are a family that does it on our own and don’t ever want to be the ones asking for help, but we have all found ourselves in a situation where we have little choice,” Woods said.
“If you aren’t able to donate, we understand and ask only for your continued prayers for our sweet angel, Em.”
A photo of Sanchez and her pet cat, identified as “her precious baby Checkers,” was also posted on the site.
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