Children of Benson woman killed in crash get Christmas surprise from troopers

On Dec. 1, Maria Aguilar Suarez, 34, was walking her children to the bus stop on Barberry Drive in Benson when authorities said a passing car hit and killed her. Her 8-year-old son, Juan Almanza, was seriously injured.

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Mark Samosky was on the scene and it was his job to tell the father of the family.

“Some things affect you as well in the job,” said Samosky. “You could just see his heart break. You could almost see and feel the pain he was feeling.”

Those emotions stayed with Samosky as he visited the injured boy in the hospital.

“He said, man I love super heroes and I love sports,” Samosky recalled.

Samosky took that back to the office and, this past weekend, troopers delivered toys and candy to the three children in the family.

“We just collected a little bit of money amongst ourselves. Nothing extravagant,” he said. “It meant a lot to them, you could tell. But, I think it meant a little bit more to myself and my shift partners to be able to do that.”

Samosky said what he found when he arrived at the crash scene earlier this month will stay with him for a long time to come.

“Sometimes with the job; I mean, you’re invested,” he said.

Samosky said Almanza is now back at home and doing well. He hopes to remain in touch with the family.