Father speaks out after double tragedy struck when his wife tried to stop their two kids fighting in the back of the car

A grieving father has shared his heartbreak after his son and daughter died in a horror crash believed to have been caused by his wife trying to break up a fight in the backseat.

Ty Porter said his “heart breaks because I can’t wake up to the smiles” of his daughter Evie, 11, and son Tate, 9, after they tragically died in Arizona on Wednesday morning.

Police said the children’s mother, Dani Hancock Porter, 36, who survived, “may have been distracted” when their vehicle crashed into a tow truck on the highway shoulder.

“As I understand it, it was children playing loudly, rough play in the backseat, or anything else that distracted her from the road, from what she told us,” Bart Graves, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, told AZFamily .

In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Ty shared memories of his children, saying they were “my whole world.”

Officials said they believe Dani was distracted by breaking up a fight between her children in the backseat when she crashed into a truck on the side of the road.

“This is how I will always remember you,” the grieving father said, sharing images of his son and daughter playing sports, enjoying days at the beach and smiling in family photos.

“Being your father has been the best part of my existence,” he wrote. ‘I coach you. Teach you. Learning from you. Making too many memories to count. Cheering for you. I love you.

“Your brightness will live on through the many people you have blessed with your love and friendship.

‘I will miss you so much. My heart breaks because I can’t wake up to your smile. That I can’t hear that amazing laugh. That we can’t play catch together. That I can no longer encourage and coach you from the sidelines.

‘That we can’t have our conversations in my truck or answer many questions about life. Our drive to Heber to unplug and make memories.

“I’ll miss not tucking you in at night and telling you how proud you make me. I will miss snuggling your daddy.”

Ty shared a heartbreaking Facebook post about his children’s passing, saying his ‘heart is breaking because I can’t wake up to smiles’

Just weeks before the tragedy, Ty also shared a trip where he took Tate to his first concert to see an Imagine Dragons performance, saying he was “so happy I got to have some time with him ‘.

The children’s mother, Dani (right), was also hospitalized during the tragedy

He said his time with his children were “the best years of my life,” and “I can’t understand how to do this without you with me.”

Just weeks before the tragedy, Ty also shared a trip where he took Tate to his first concert to see an Imagine Dragons performance.

He said the band was his son’s “favorite” and he was “counting down the days since I surprised him with the tickets!!”

“It was such a fun evening and I’m so glad I got to spend some time with him and be part of his first concert,” the father wrote.

The accident occurred around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday morning when Porter’s vehicle struck a tow truck on the side of the road while traveling “at a significant rate of speed.”

Another boy, 6, was also in the vehicle when the crash occurred and suffered minor injuries, while Porter was hospitalized.

Ty shared memories of his children as he paid tribute: “I will miss not tucking you in at night and telling you how proud you make me. I will miss hugging your daddy

Officials said the children died instantly in the tragedy, saying they “didn’t stand a chance, and it’s very sad.”

Graves told AZFamily after the collision: “Suffice it to say, the force of the impact was such that it not only tore off the right side of the pickup they were riding in, but they were killed instantly by the force of this impact.

“They didn’t have a chance, and it’s very sad.”

The tow truck driver was not injured in the accident.

The pickup driver will not face criminal charges but could potentially be charged with a misdemeanor charge of distracted driving, DPS said.

‘Take it easy, pay attention. Don’t get distracted by things in your car if you have kids,” Graves advised. ‘Stay away from your cell phone. In any case, do not drive disturbed or tired.’