SAN ANTONIO — It's been almost five years since a five car pile-up took the lives of 21-year-old Magdalena 'Maggie' Hernandez and her friend Jason Joseph Cantu.
On July 19, 2019, according to DPS, a Ford F-150 traveling eastbound on SH 46 veered into the westbound lane, sideswiping two cars before colliding head-on with a Hyundai Accent, which Hernandez and Cantu were both in.
"I pray, pray that it was quick, but she held on," said Madeline Hernandez, Maggie's mom. "She held on for about 31 minutes. She was waiting for me. She didn't want to leave. “
The Hernandez family has been grappling with Maggie's loss ever since.
"She was 4' 10", but her smile was beyond seven feet tall," said Albert Hernandez, Maggie's brother. " And no matter what situation, no matter what, she's just like, smiling and and as cliché as it is, it's like hard to buy that."
The driver of the Ford F-150, Andrew Michael Pena faces two charges of manslaughter for Hernandez and Cantu's deaths, however he still has not had a trial.
"We are very hopeful and we trust the process and we're looking forward to to that part of it," Madeline Hernandez said.
A trial date is set for June 10. According to the Comal County District Attorney's office, a multitude of reasons have delayed the case.
Jennifer Tharp, the criminal district attorney wrote in a statement in part:
"The defendant indicted by a Comal County Grand Jury in March of 2020. Comal County went to zoom dockets due to COVID the third week of March 2020 and did not go back to in person jury trials until 10/4/21 due to COVID closures and courthouse renovations...Additionally, this defendant has had multiple defense attorneys representing him which led to the delay."
Albert Hernandez was just 18 years old when his sister was killed in the crash.
"Time stopped that day, and five years went on as the world turned, but she was my world," he said. "She was you know, older sister, younger brother, we fought a lot. One thing I can always say is that you wish you could just fight once more. So everybody out there, that has that sibling, you know. You know, you always look up to them despite never telling them."
The Hernandez family is holding on to Maggie's memory. The 21-year-old was a manager at HEB, while attending university. She had ambitions of becoming a lawyer, before dying just days before her birthday.
As the family deals with the grief, they take some solace in a poem, titled 'As I Sit in Heaven' which they say has helped keep them going.
As I sit in heaven and watch you everyday,
I'll try and let you know with signs, I never went away.
I hear you when you're laughing, and I watch you as you sleep,
I even place my arms around you, to calm you as you weep.
I see you wish the days away, begging to have me home,
So I'll try and send you signs, so you know you're not alone.
Don't feel guilty that you have life, life that was denied to me,
Heaven is truly beautiful, just you wait and see!
So live your life, laugh again, enjoy yourself, be free.
Then I'll know with each breath you take, you'll be taking one for me.
"Everything I do is for her. Everything is for her, to grace her, because she's not here," said Madeline Hernandez. "So I try to be service full and I try to do things that she would do so I can do them together with her and I could feel her with me. I just love her so much, and I just want to celebrate her because she's my everything."