Kids Of Woman With Stroller Struck By Pickup: 'Where Is Mommy?'

AMAGANSETT, NY —Two children who were in a stroller pushed by their mother when she was hit by a pickup truck and killed are "recovering slowly" from their injuries, a friend of the family told Patch.

The driver initially fled the scene but later turned himself in, police said.

Yuris Murillo Cruz, 36, and her two children, Michelle, 4, and Josue Gael, 1, were initially hospitalized but are now at home with their father Wilson, Cruz's friend Angelica Marta said.

Josue Gael is healing more slowly; he suffered internal bruising and is in pain every time he coughs, sneezes, or even breathes, Marta said. "It's going to take some time for his ribs to heal," she said.

And for Michelle, the pain is beyond physical. She had a minor concussion after the crash and was having trouble eating. "She was in shock over the loss of her mother," Marta said. "Obviously, she's a little bit older and remembers some things from that day."

For Michelle, there are questions even adults cannot answer, Marta said. "She asked her father, 'Where is Mommy?' He told her that her mother was in heaven and was an angel now, who would watch over her."

Murillo Cruz, Marta said, had put her baby into the stroller and walked to the Amagansett School to pick up her daughter. The three were heading eastbound to her house when the truck, also heading eastbound, "hit her from behind," Marta said. "She didn't see it coming."

According to East Hampton Town Police, the crash took place on Montauk Highway, east of Old Montauk Highway, on Jan. 13 at 11:42 a.m. Mark A. Corrado, Jr., 28, of West Babylon, was heading east in a 1997 Dodge pickup when he hit Cruz.

Corrado surrendered to East Hampton detectives at Suffolk County's First Precinct in West Babylon that afternoon, police said. He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a felony, police said.

Marta, a single mom, said she has been friends with Murillo Cruz and her husband Wilson since about 2002. When Marta lost her brother in 2008, the families grew even closer. Her daughter Mia is good friends with Michelle, she said.

Of Murillo Cruz, Marta said, "She was so sweet and kind, and humble. I never heard her speak badly about anybody. She was like an angel, honestly."

Murillo Cruz sent her little messages throughout the day, "just to put a smile on our faces," she said.

And, she said, her friend was a devoted mother and partner to her husband, who was blindsided by her loss.

Wilson, a landscaper, had just finished his last house of the season and was headed home for lunch with his family when tragedy struck. Now, he's caring for his children in their home — a rented, single room where the family has been living on Montauk Highway in Amagansett.

The couple, Marta said, was perfectly suited. "She was the kind of person who could calm his worries and fears. She was a woman of great faith. She believed if you prayed, it would make things better," she said.

It was Murillo Cruz who was the heartbeat of the home, who lovingly tended to the household chores, and always had the children fed, bathed and ready to greet their father at the end of a long day, Marta said. "He told me, 'She was my right hand.'"

Now he is struggling to juggle all the responsibilities alone, Marta said.

Murillo Cruz had a dream, Marta said — to one day live in a home where her children could have a yard, where they could play outside in the sunshine and she and her family could set down roots and make memories.

Now, Marta said, she and others are planning to try and locate an affordable apartment or home for the family in the area. "Our primary goal is to get them in to somewhere more comfortable," she said.

Once a new space is found, Marta and others who are fundraising plan to fill and decorate the home so all Wilson and the children have to do is move in. "We want to make it a home, so he has less to worry about and can just focus on being there for his children," she said.

Second, Wilson has two grown children from a previous marriage in Ecuador. If the family can find a way, they would love to have the two grown children join their father, all under one roof, where they can help to care for the babies Murillo Cruz left behind, she said.

During the darkest of hours, it is the memory of Murillo Cruz's deep and abiding faith that buoys those who loved her. Murillo Cruz and her husband spent many hours at church, never missing an event.

"She was a godly woman," Marta said. "She would just light up a room."

A GoFundMe page, "Yuris Murillo Cruz Funeral and Medical Expenses," was created by Marta.

"If you can find it in your heart to help the family and their two beautiful children it would be greatly appreciated. If you can't donate, please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers, and please pass along the link," she wrote.

Another GoFundMe page, "Support for the Murillo Cruz Family," was also created by Kim Slicklein of the Amagansett PTA.

"We are a small community, and we need to help support one another — especially during such an agonizing time for the Murillo Cruz family," Slicklein wrote.

Donations are needed to support the Murillo Cruz family and help with medical expenses, childcare, meals, funeral expenses, and for "everything else needed during this critically challenging time," she said. "We are incredibly grateful for all donations — no matter how small, and your help will make a tremendous difference in the lives of Murillo Cruz family."

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