OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The family of a husband and wife killed in a wrong-way crash on I-96 last Friday morning says they want the community to remember their loved ones for the lives they lived, not the way they died.
Investigators say 24-year-old Darron Trevino was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of I-96 when he crashed head-on into another vehicle, killing himself and married couple Tammy Morris-Robinson and Robert Robinson.
For Tammy's sister, Lateesia Evans, the phone call delivering the news is something she'll never forget.
WATCH: "I don't want people to forget who they were": Family honors couple killed in wrong-way I-96 crash
"The hurt is a different type of pain,” Evans said. “I can't even explain any other hurt that comes close to a death notification.”
She said the responding officer became emotional while sharing what had happened.
"The officer was shedding tears as he told me we lost Tammy and Robert," Evans said.
The couple leaves behind three children: Jalen, 14-year-old Tamia and 10-year-old Ta'Myla.
Their son, Jalen Almon, said the days since the crash have been incredibly difficult.
"To be honest, it's definitely been rough. I won't say that it's been easy at all," Almon said.
As the family grieves, Jalen says he hopes people look beyond the headlines and remember the kind of people his parents were.
"My mother, she had a heart as big as the sun," he said. “She would literally give you the shirt off of her back.”
Although Robert Robinson was not his biological father, Jalen said he embraced the role of a dad without hesitation.
"I respected him as a father because he loved my mom, he loved my family, and he was willing to do anything for us," Almon said.
More than anything, Jalen says he hopes people remember the lives his parents lived, not the tragedy that took them.
“I just want Robert and my mom to be alive. I don’t want people to forget who they were,” Almon said, “I want people to always remember them for who they were and who they were to everyone else.”
While the investigation into the crash continues, the family says they are waiting for answers while leaning on one another through their grief.
"It wouldn't do us any good to be upset until we know any answers," Evans said. "We want the answers, and we're going to feel how we feel regardless."
The family also hopes their loss can inspire change. They say they want to advocate for stricter impaired driving laws and better resources for children who lose parents in crashes caused by impaired drivers.
Funeral services for Tammy Morris-Robinson and Robert Robinson will be held at Carter Funeral Home in Muskegon Heights. Family visitation is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon, with the service open to the public beginning at noon.
The family has also created a GoFundMe to help support funeral expenses.
Right: Robert Robinson and Tammy Morris-Robinson.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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