Family of mom, son hospitalized after crash demands suspect come forward

Driver of black truck pulled out in front of woman, police say

SAN ANTONIO – A family is asking the driver of a black pickup truck who is suspected of nearly killing their loved ones -- a mother and her 3-year-old son -- in an early morning collision to turn themselves in.

San Antonio police said Brittney Washington, 28, was driving her son, Elijah Johnson, 3, along Nacogdoches Road when a black pickup truck pulled out in front of them.

While trying to swerve out of the way, Washington lost control and hit a pole, trapping her and her son inside the car. Fire officials had to use the Jaws of Life to cut her and the child out.

“I was on my way home when I kept getting a phone call from this number,” said Gwendolyn Cox, Washington’s mother. “Then I finally answered and it was the hospital telling me that I needed to get there soon because my daughter and grandson had been taken there.”

She said when she arrived to the hospital, both of her family members had serious injuries.

“Brittney has a broken leg, a broken pelvis and a puncture in her lung,” Cox said. “Elijah is still not awake right now and is on a machine.”

Melvin Johnson, Elijah’s father, also rushed to the hospital when he got the news. 

“No one wants to wake up in the morning and hear about your son and son’s mom both tragically in a vehicle they can’t get out of,” Johnson said. “When I got there, I could have just broke down. You know when you hear about it, you don’t know what the situation is or what is happening and when (Elijah) is in the bed with blood all over him, you are just hoping for the best outcome. His eyes are swollen. His face is all swollen. His head is big. It is just not right but he’s pushing. He’s fighting.”

Cox said as a mother, she is devastated imagining what her daughter could have been going through.

“I had to actually see it on a video,” Cox said. “Dramatic video of them cutting open the car and pulling her out and getting the baby and everything. You wonder what she could have been saying, or if she was calling out for help. To not have been there, it is hurtful and I don’t wish that on anybody because it is hard.”

Both Cox and Johnson described Washington as a hardworking woman with a loving soul.

“When God gave me children, he gave me angels,” Cox said. “She has such a big heart. Loving and caring. I have never met someone that cared about people so much.”

Johnson said like his mother, Elijah had that same energy.

“Elijah is a goofball,” Johnson said. “He is a funny dude. Very fast and energetic. Big heart. Always smiling. Always getting into something but for the right reason. He just loved to make people laugh.”

Elijah just celebrated his third birthday March 3. His entire family is praying for a quick recovery.

“His mom is in a lot of pain, but she is worried about him more,” Cox said. “Elijah is a blessing because he wasn’t supposed to come to term because of a rare condition. Brittney lost her first child because of that same condition. He is a blessing.”

The family said they are beyond frustrated with the driver police believe is responsible for this incident.

“It is unfortunate that this driver hit them and didn’t stop,” Cox said. “Didn’t even think she had a kid in the car and didn’t have no value for their lives.”

They said that while they want whoever was in the car to turn themselves in as soon as possible, they forgive them.

“We have to forgive in order to move on,” Cox said.

“It is not our judgment,” Johnson said. “They have to answer for their wrong doings. They have someone else to answer to. We are still blessed to have (Washington and Elijah) here. Things could still go left, which is why we have to appreciate each other while we are here. If you are out there, just do the right thing and help us out with closure. Turn yourself in.”

If you have any information that could lead to an arrest in this case, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers. That number is 210-224-STOP.


About the Authors:

Japhanie Gray joined 10 News as an anchor in March 2022.