The woman killed in the horrific truck crash at Green Square last Wednesday morning was Khristiee Aravena, a mother-of-four from Sans Souci who was waiting at the bus stop.
The 44-year-old was on her way to work as an executive assistant in the CBD and was also studying to be a graphic designer.
A loving mother of four children, Leon Jazairy age 26, Jazmine Jazairy age 22, Mariah Jazairy age 18, and Benson Jazairy age 5, and a new grandmother of one, Bilal aged 6 months, Ms Aravena was born in Australia of Chilean heritage.
Her husband Baha Jazairy, from Carlton, said the entire family was still struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.
"Everybody is devastated, shocked ... Khristiee was so full of life,” Mr Jazairy said.
“There’s not enough that can be said about her to be honest. She was a lovely woman. She had a very bubbly personality, always with a big smile.
“We had four kids together. She loved her children and was very dedicated to them.”
Mr Jazairy, an Uber driver, had separated from Khristiee three years ago.
They had been married for 22 years after meeting on Bondi Beach.
Mr Jazairy said he was told the tragic news at about 5pm on the day of the accident because it had taken so long for the emergency services to reach her.
"I was told by Khristiee’s brother. They managed to get hold of her mum first," he said.
"I was working at the time. As soon as I heard I switched [Uber] off. My son was at daycare. The police collected him and they took him to his grandmother’s house.
"Apparently it took about six hours before they could retrieve her body from under the rubble because there was a risk of further collapse of the building.”
The truck carrying bricks crashed at 7.45am.
The driver, according to one well-placed source, had suffered a pulmonary embolism, a clot in the lung, and collapsed at the wheel.
"I think from the footage that I have managed to get a hold of she looked like she was crossing the road at that traffic light. She would have been on her way to work to catch a bus.
"She was standing near the traffic lights that were collected by the truck. I don’t even think she was even looking in the direction of the truck.”
Ms Aravena’s daughter Jazmine, of Sandringham, said the family was still reeling as they tried to make funeral arrangements this week.
“We are struggling to come to terms with the horrendous circumstances surrounding her death,” Jazmine said in a Go Fund Me post.
“There are no words to describe the pain and anguish we feel after learning it took emergency services 6 hours to reach her body due to the extent of the accident.
“We are shocked and absolutely devastated at the sudden, tragic and untimely death of our beloved mother at only 44. It is heartbreaking to think she will not be here to see Benson’s first day of school or that Bilal will never get to see his grandmother’s beautiful smile.
“Whilst we mourn the loss of our mother, we also celebrate her life. She will be remembered as a happy, fun and loving mother. She was always so full of life and energetic. She will be dearly missed by all those who knew her.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the injured victims, their families and all those affected by this tragic accident.”
Jazmine said the sudden and unexpected death of her mother had left the family “in a state of complete shock”. Khristiee’s two brothers and one sister, and relatives are flying from interstate to be with the family.
As they struggle to accept the horrific circumstances of her death, the family has created A Go Fund Me account to assist the family in paying for the funeral costs and associated expenses.
The Rideshare Drivers Association of Australia has also established a Go Fund Me page to support the family.
You can make donations at gofundme.com
