- Lena Phelps, 29, died in a DUI crash on Dec. 27 in Pocatello.
- Her sister, Sariah Gaunt, described Phelps as compassionate and caring for everyone.
- Driver Guy Garry Guerrero, 25, faces charges including aggravated DUI after the crash.
POCATELLO – A family is grieving after losing someone who was a mother, sister and caregiver in a tragic car crash.
Lena Phelps, 29, died from the injuries she received from a two-vehicle collision on Dec. 27. Speaking to EastIdahoNews.com, her sister, Sariah Gaunt, described her as someone who was "filled with compassion, love, and understanding for everyone."
"She just always took care of me, and she was my best friend in the whole world, and she was the greatest sister I could ever ask for," Gaunt said.
The crash occurred at approximately 7 p.m. at the intersection of North Arthur Avenue and West Clark Street. According to court documents, Phelps was driving eastbound on Clark and had entered the intersection when a pick-up truck crashed into her driver's side door, sending her vehicle rolling.
Guy Garry Guerrero, 25, allegedly drove the pick-up truck. Guerrero has received multiple charges, including aggravated driving under the influence.
Pictures taken of the scene show Phelps' vehicle at rest by the parking lot of Pioneer Title, which is around 150 feet away from the intersection.
Phelps and a passenger, who survived the incident, were transported to the hospital. When Gaunt received the call that Phelps had not survived, she "couldn't breathe" and she "just couldn't stop crying."
"Lena was like everything in the world to me. It's just – it's the worst thing I could ever imagine happening," Gaunt said.
Phelps, who was widowed at 26 years old, is survived by her three children. The kids, who are 8, 5, and 3 years old, are in the care of their great-aunt.
Gaunt said that Phelps' children are so young that they don't yet fully understand what happened to their mother.
(Her youngest) doesn't really understand what's going on, and the other two … don't really know what to do with their emotions," Gaunt said.
Gaunt said that as they grew up, Phelps applied the skills she learned from her mother and aunt, who were nurses, to take care of herself and other family members.
"I was sick a lot, and Lena was the one that took care of me. (And) when my grandpa was dying, Lena spent almost all of her time over at my grandparents' house," Gaunt said.
Phelps' obituary describes her as "the heart and soul of everyone who knew her."
One of those people who knew her was Stephanie Stander.
Stander has known Phelps since she was "little" as she's a friend of her family. As Phelps grew older, she occasionally spent time babysitting Stander's children.
But then, when Stander was pregnant with her third child, she was put on bed rest for an extended period of time. Phelps, who was 12 years old then, needed to complete service hours for school and recognized Stander's need.
"There's not many 12-year-old girls that are just that sweet and that intuitive," Stander said.
During Stander's pregnancy, Phelps came over most afternoons while her husband was at work, and took care of her children and kept her company.
"She kept my spirits light, kept the kids having fun, rather than them just feeling so closed in all the time from mom not being able to do much. She was wonderful," Stander said.
To people who are considering driving a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Stander said, "too many of us have been hurt by other choices to drink and drive, or get high and drive, and it's not worth somebody else's life."
Gaunt said that she wants "to be angry so bad" at the driver of the pick-up truck, but she knows that's not what Phelps would want.
"I want to be angry so bad. I just feel like Lena's voice is in my head," Gaunt said.
"Lena would want me to make sure that he was OK, and Lena wouldn't want anything bad for him, and that Lena would be worried about him."
