Delaware family grieving death of mother, 10-year-old daughter, nine months after deadly crash
Friday marks exactly nine months since a deadly crash in New Castle, Delaware that changed a family forever.
Karisma Elivo-Stevens, 29, was making a left turn when the driver of a sedan blew a red light and hit her minivan, according to Delaware State Police.
Karisma and her 10-year-old daughter Zamiyah Elivo were killed. The collision happened at the intersection of Christiana Road and Airport Road in New Castle, Delaware on August 21, 2024.
Karisma's four other daughters were also in the vehicle. They were taken to an area hospital with injuries ranging from broken arms to fractured skulls. Eight-year-old Zariyah, 6-year-old Zakiyah, 3-year-old Zaniyah and 1-year-old Zalayna are now being raised by their father and grandmother, Yolanda Urena.
"I know I wouldn't have made it this far if I didn't have God in my life," Urena said. "Every day is a day of different grieving."
Urena said her four grandchildren have made huge progress in their recovery. Zakiyah was the most seriously injured of the children and spent three months in the hospital, Urena said.
"She goes to occupational therapy and physical therapy," Urena said. "They still have some disabilities that they working on."
Amid the grief, Urena said she's grateful for the support of relatives, friends, neighbors, the family's pastor and the Colonial School District.
"Thank you so much for Pleasantville Elementary School," Urena said. "They've been awesome with Zakiyah. They didn't have a program for her. They opened up a special program just to have her in the school."
As the family continues to heal, the criminal case is working its way through the pretrial process.
The driver Delaware State Police said is responsible for the deadly collision, DeJuan Robinson of Wilmington, is set to go on trial in November for murder.
Officials said Robinson was pulled over for a moving violation and fled a traffic stop eleven minutes before the crash. Troopers did not pursue Robinson's car.
Urena has a message about the importance of safe driving.
"The drivers that are out there driving carelessly, think about the next person, the person you're going to hit," Urena said. "You're not hurting just that person. You have a whole family here that you're hurting."
