Two brothers are speaking out after their mother, 53‑year‑old Tanya Cypert, was killed in an Arlington crash that police say may have involved street racing.
Chance and Ethan Cypert returned this week to the intersection of Eden Road and South Cooper Street, where their mother was hit last Friday and later died from her injuries.
“I knew it was bad,” Chance said. “I called my mom, and the person who answered the phone was the off‑duty officer trying to help her.”
The brothers say their mother survived for about an hour after the collision.
Video shows two speeding vehicles before impact
Surveillance video from a nearby real estate office captured two vehicles traveling northbound on Cooper Street at a high rate of speed moments before the crash. One of the vehicles struck Cypert’s car as she attempted to turn toward her home just a few blocks away.
Detectives are now working to determine whether the drivers were racing.
“I live down the street,” Ethan said. “I hear it every night — people zooming by. I can hear their engines roaring all the way to the highway. It’s ridiculous.”
Family says compassion defined her
Despite the circumstances, the brothers say their mother’s character guides how they’re processing the tragedy.
“She genuinely loved everybody, no matter who you were or where you’re from,” Ethan said. “She had so much love to give.”
Chance said he believes she would have been concerned for the driver’s well‑being.
“I just want to make sure they’re okay,” he said. “I know they have injuries. That’s my philosophy, and I think that’s what she would care about first and foremost.”
Driver remains hospitalized
Arlington police say they have not been able to interview the driver who struck Cypert because he remains hospitalized. No criminal charges have been filed.
“I’m just beyond appreciative that my brother and I got to call her mom,” Chance said.