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WEST VALLEY CITY — Several Utah State Troopers helped deliver gifts on Christmas Eve to a boy who lost his grandfather under a week ago in a tragic accident.
Isaac Lopez, a 3-year-old boy, was in the back seat when his grandfather, Juan Lopez, had a heart attack while driving last Friday. Juan crashed and later died at the hospital. Isaac was left traumatized, confused, and worst of all without his grandfather just days before Christmas.
At the hospital following the crash, Sgt. David Moreno played with Isaac, trying to distract him from the events. Moreno asked Isaac what he wanted for Christmas, and after Isaac said he loved ninja turtles, Moreno knew what he and his crew had to do.
"Sometimes little kids don't survive those crashes," said Moreno. "We've seen that. So, when we see one that survives it's so gratifying and makes us so happy that we can do something for them."
Mike DeBernardo/KSL-TV
Do something they certainly did. Moreno and several of his fellow Utah Highway Patrol troopers banded together, procuring gifts for Isaac which they delivered to him personally Thursday night. Their presence, and their hugs, may have meant even more.
"It just means the world to me," said Sonia Lopez, Isaac's mother. "This is what Christmas is about."
It's been an incredibly difficult few days for Isaac and his family. But for them to see him tear into gifts and forget his pain for even a few minutes meant the world — just as it did to the troopers who made it possible.
"They are in need right now," said Moreno. "We just wanted to help out, and my guys wanted to help out, so that's what we did."
