The family of a 79-year-old woman who was fatally struck by a Tesla in Simi Valley broke silence on Wednesday, remembering her as an amazing mother and grandmother as well as a great wife to her husband of 56 years.
Police said Ginny Shields of Agoura Hills was on a sidewalk when the Tesla jumped a curb and crashed into a cafe.
Her son, Steve Shields, spoke to NBC Los Angeles exclusively and described her as a devoted mother and grandmother.
“She just did not want to miss a single moment,” the son. “She wanted to connect with her kids and grandkids and wanted to include them in everything – and that was her joy.”
Shields, a former interior designer and artist, was “religious about the deocrations,” her son recalled as he looked through dozens of photo ablums that she had put together.
“She loved art. She loved art history, so for something like 20 years, she was a volunteer at the Getty Villa Malibu,” the son said. “She had a lot of years left and a lot of things left to do.”
When the woman was killed on Monday, she was running errands, her son said.
“I’m imaging my mom there under that car, and I wish I could unsee it,” he said. “She’s left a giant hole that can’t be filled.”
Police said the driver, identified as 65-year-old Nolvia Buezo of Thousand Oaks, did not appear to have been impaired.
“We obviously need answers and looking forward to finding out what happened – how this could happen,” Steve Shields said. “Mom, I love, we miss, and we wish we had more time with you.