Two children died in a car accident and the mother could have been distracted by her siblings: DPS

An argument between siblings while driving a car ended in a fatal accident.

According to a local news station KFVSOn Wednesday, October 23, an accident occurred on Loop 202 in Mesa, Arizona, involving a mother and her three children. Their pickup truck struck a tow truck at high speed in the outside lane of the highway, closing westbound lanes for several hours, according to Arizona Department of Transportation.

Bart Graves, public information officer for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said via KFVS that the mother “may have been distracted by what was happening in the vehicle at the time of the crash.”

“From my understanding it was children playing loudly, fighting in the backseat or something else that took her off the road,” he said.

The crash “broke off the right side of the pickup truck, killing a 9-year-old male and an 11-year-old female,” a DPS statement said, according to the local Fox affiliate. KSAZ-TV.

9-year-old Tate and 11-year-old Evie died in a car accident. According to KFVS, their younger brother was not hurt in the accident, but the children’s 36-year-old mother was taken to hospital.

PEOPLE reached out to the Arizona Department of Public Safety but did not receive an immediate response.

Jesse Torrez, director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, explained via the ABC affiliate KNXV-TV that even the slightest glance at the road can cause a driver to swerve off the road.

“Even if you are looking straight ahead but your peripheral is pointing to the right, you tend to drift left or right. This poor woman just happened to make a right turn,” he said.

“And if she had drifted two seconds after she did that, she probably would have missed the tow truck,” Torrez said.

Graves also stressed the importance of not being distracted while driving.

“Slow down, be careful. If you have children, don’t get distracted by things in the car,” Graves said, according to KFVS. “Stay off the phone. You should absolutely not drive when you are weakened or tired.”

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According to KNXV, it is unclear whether the mother will face charges for the accident.

AND GoFundMe was created for Tate and Evie. “Their parents and siblings must now face not only life without their two children, but also a mountain of medical and funeral bills just a few years after one of their children underwent lengthy cancer treatment,” we read in the description of the fundraiser.

As of Friday, October 25, over $145,000 had been raised.

PEOPLE has reached out to the GoFundMe organizer for comment.