CYPRESS, Texas — Photos of his late wife, Lupe, and his late 9-month-old son, Ezekiel, are things you won’t see on the walls at David Tzic’s house.
"I still look at her face and his face," Tzic said. "As strong as I am, it still gets the best of me.”
Tzic lost both of them six months ago when the Toyota 4-Runner Lupe was driving flipped over a guardrail along the Grand Parkway during a chain-reaction collision.
The vehicle was left unrecognizable after landing on its roof and then coming to rest on its wheels.
"It actually seems like a lot longer than six months,” Tzic said.
That’s because Tzic has spent every waking moment since the crash watching his surviving son, Isaiah’s, grueling recovery which included an extensive hospital stay and a slim chance of initial survival.
"They didn’t think he had any brainwaves and they were ready to withdraw treatment," Tzic said. "But then I opted in for a test to see if he was still alive, and he was.”
And while Tzic said he essentially lost the vivacious toddler he knew, he considers it a miracle he’s out of the hospital and finally back at home where he requires constant care and attention.
"He will be disabled for the rest of his life," Tzic said. "In a way, I can tell he’s there, he’s just dormant.”
Tzic credits friends, family and perfect strangers for continued prayers as well as financial help through this still-active GoFundMe account.
"I've gotten a lot of support from as close as neighborhoods nearby to as far as even England,” Tzic said.
It's support he will continue to appreciate as Isaiah, who soon turns 4, deals with the effects of the horrific crash forever.
“I’m very thankful," Tzic said. "You know, things happen for a reason and it’s not where I would want to be, for sure. But he’s certainly doing a lot better and that’s what I’m hoping for.”
A driver believed to have struck Lupe Tzic’s SUV before leaving the scene was identified, although no charges have been filed. Civil court action is also possible.