Heartbreaking message from mother of teen killed in triple fatal crash

LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- The three teens who were killed in a Lynnwood crash earlier this week were identified on Thursday.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teens as Landon Staley, 16; Travin Nelson Phongphiou, 16; and Mikayla Sorenson, 15.

All three were friends and students at Henry Jackson High School in Mill Creek.

“You can’t prepare yourself for losing a child,” Cari Staley, the grieving mother of Landon, said Thursday.



Speaking of her late 16-year-old son, Staley said, “Very affectionate, loving, level headed."

Landon’s Kia Sorento crashed into the back of parked semi trailer along Alderwood Mall Parkway early Wednesday morning. Investigators are looking into exactly what happened leading up to the crash.

Staley says her son sneaked out of their Everett apartment sometime before the crash.

“He decided to go out and drive and break a few rules and paid the ultimate price,” Staley said.

Staley says her son had never sneaked out of the house before.

“I just really hope this tragedy impacts kids,” Staley said.

The force of the crash was so powerful it sheared off the top of the SUV. In that instant, the lives of three families changed.

“We don’t know how we are going to do it without him, you know? We are very tight,” Staley said.

“We just need a lot of support right now,” Landon’s brother, Colton Staley, said.

Now it’s just Staley and Landon’s younger brother Colton.

Staley’s husband lost his life to cancer.

“A lot of friends helped me through those times never thought I would have to go through round 2,” Staley said.

Mikayla’s family shared a picture of the 15-year-old with Q13 News on Thursday, saying she was “beautiful, vibrant, loving, caring and a true gift from God to the world.”

Henry Jackson High School's principal had grief counselors on hand Thursday so students had people to talk to.

A 15-year-old girl from Cascade High School who was also inside the SUV survived the crash. The sole survivor was taken to Harborview Medical Center where she remains in satisfactory condition.

A GoFundMe account has been set up.