11-year-old Evie and 9-year-old Tate have died as a result of the high-speed accident on Loop 202 in Mesa, Ariz.
An argument between siblings during a car ride has resulted in a fatal accident.
According to the local news station KFVS, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, the accident involving a mother and her three children occurred on Loop 202 in Mesa, Ariz. Their pickup truck hit a tow truck in the outer lane of the freeway at high speed, which caused westbound lanes to shut down for several hours, as per the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Bart Graves, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer, said via KFVS that the mother "may have been distracted by what was going on in the vehicle at the time of the crash."
"As I understand it, it was kids playing loudly, roughhousing in the backseat, or some kind of thing that distracted her from the road," he said.
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The impact of the crash "tore off the right side of the pickup killing a 9-year-old male and 11-year-old female," a statement from the DPS reads, as per local Fox affiliate KSAZ-TV.
Tate, 9, and 11-year-old Evie were killed as a result of the car crash. Their younger brother was unscathed by the accident, but the children's mother, 36, was hospitalized, KFVS reports.
PEOPLE contacted the Arizona Department of Public Safety and did not receive an immediate response.
Jesse Torrez, the director of Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety, explained via ABC affiliate KNXV-TV that even the slightest glance off the road could cause drivers to drift.
"Even if you're looking straight ahead, but your peripheral goes to the right, you have a tendency [to] start to drift left or right. This poor woman just happened to drift to the right," he said.
"And had she drifted either two seconds after she did, she probably would have missed that tow truck," Torrez said.
Graves also emphasized the importance of not becoming distracted when driving.
"Slow down, pay attention. Do not get distracted by things in your car if you have kids," Graves said, as per KFVS. "Stay off the phone. By all means, do not drive impaired or fatigued either."
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It remains unclear whether or not the mother will face charges for the accident, as per KNXV.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Tate and Evie. "Their parents and siblings are now not only having to face life without two of their children, but a mound of medical and funeral bills just years after one of their children went through a long course of cancer treatment," the fundraiser description reads.
As of Friday, Oct. 25, it has raised over $145,000.
PEOPLE contacted the GoFundMe organizer for comment.