Sierra Vista mourns as crash claims Buena High student’s life | Cochise County

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KVOA) – A 17-year-old Buena High School student tragically lost her life in a wrong-way crash over the weekend.

Mia Carolina Hirsch, a junior with aspirations of becoming an immigration lawyer, was described by her father, Jorge Hirsch, as “very caring.”

“She had a beautiful personality through the people she loved,” Jorge Hirsch said.

Mia was known for her determination and ambition.

“There was nothing that she could not achieve,” Jorge Hirsch said.

The crash occurred on Saturday on Highway 90 near milepost 293. Mia was driving south after attending a bonfire in Benson.

“She was coming back home,” Jorge Hirsch said.

Police reported that a motorcyclist, identified as 35-year-old Theodore Simon III of Mescal, was speeding north on Highway 90, passing a Border Patrol checkpoint. Agents attempted to catch up with him, but he collided with Mia’s vehicle head-on, resulting in both of their deaths.

“I want to find something good out of this, but I’m having a hard time,” Jorge Hirsch said.

Mia’s cousin, Maritsa Samaniego, shared how they want Mia to be remembered.

“As a brave girl that was never scared to be herself and to stand up for what she believed in,” Samaniego said.

“Everywhere she would go she would shine,” Jorge Hirsch added.

Police believe alcohol was a contributing factor in why Simon III was traveling the wrong way on Highway 90.