• Lourdes Vazquez - LVazquez@vicad.com
• Originally published November 6, 2009 at 9:48 p.m., updated November 9, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.

GOLIAD - A 4-year-old boy was killed in a two-vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 59 early Friday morning.

His mother, a Goliad High School teacher, was hospitalized in Corpus Christi in critical but stable condition.

Emika Moya, 33, of Beeville was traveling just west of Mugerrara Creek with her 4-year-old son, Luca, when an 18-wheeler may have slightly crossed over the center stripe and the two vehicles collided, said Goliad County Sheriff Kirby Brumby.

Dense fog may have been a factor, Brumby said.

Students at Goliad High School, where Moya is a speech and debate teacher and UIL academic coordinator, spent Friday making signs in support of Moya, said Superintendent Sam Atwood.

"Kids have done some neat things in her honor," Atwood said.

Ministers and counselors were on campus early Friday morning to help students and staff deal with the tragedy.

"She is well respected and thought of," Atwood said. "We're really sadden by the tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family."

Moya has been with the school district for four years. Luca was her only son.

The passenger side of her Nissan collided with the driver's side of the tractor-trailer rig, Brumby said.

Moya's son, who was strapped into his car seat, was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said.

The dense fog also prevented Moya from being flown from the scene to Christus Spohn hospital in Corpus Christi. Moya was taken by ambulance to the Beeville hospital where she was stabilized.

She was later flown by helicopter to Corpus Christi, Atwood said.

Moya suffered internal injuries, a severely broken leg and a punctured lung, Atwood said.

The semi-truck driver, whose name was not available Friday night, was treated and released from Beeville Christus Spohn.

Atwood said he learned of the wreck when an officer call him trying to contact Moya's husband.

The highway was closed for three and a half hours as the wreckage was cleared, Brumby said.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Fritz is investigating the collision.

Assisting at the scene were the Texas Department of Transportation, Goliad Volunteer Fire Department, Goliad and Bee County EMS, and two additional DPS troopers.

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