Karamell Brown, mother of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, looks down as attorney Ben Crump speaks at a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Karamell Brown, mother of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, speaks during a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
A relative of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, wipes her eyes during a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Sam Taylor, middle, speaks while joined by Ben Crump and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Ben Crump and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a photo of Branch during a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Sam Taylor and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Family members of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold pictures of her during a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Karamell Brown, mother of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, wipes her face during a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Ben Crump and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Sam Taylor watches as Ben Crump and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
Sam Taylor, Ben Crump and the family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old who was killed when a truck crashed into Atascocita bakery, hold a press conference at The Lanier Law Firm in Houston, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
The family of Zion Branch, a 19-year-old Nothing Bundt Cakes employee killed when a vehicle crashed into a storefront, have retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump to search for answers on what led to Branch’s death, they said during a Tuesday news conference.
Branch died last Tuesday afternoon when a truck crashed into the bakery shop’s Atascocita storefront. Four others were injured. Branch’s family said they only learned that Branch had died at around 5 p.m., when the crash had occurred at 3 p.m. They have not filed a lawsuit.
The family said they are planning Branch’s funeral, but did not share details at the news conference.
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Crump and co-counsel Sam Taylor of the Lanier Law Firm joined Branch’s family at the conference at the law firm.
READ MORE: New details emerge in deadly Nothing Bundt Cakes crash that killed 1, injured 4 in Atascocita
The driver told officers that his foot slipped off the brake and pressed the accelerator as he attempted to park in front of the store, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Branch’s family and the lawyers are waiting to see if first responders conducted a toxicology report on the driver. The driver has not been cited and the incident is still under investigation. “We don’t have all the answers yet but we will find them,” Taylor said.
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READ MORE: Mother of teen killed in Nothing Bundt Cakes crash pledges to open bakery on daughter’s behalf
Carol Roberson, Branch’s grandmother, said during the news conference that officers did not immediately share information about Branch’s whereabouts and told her family to “calm down.”
Branch had worked at the bakery for about three months, said her mother, Karamell Brown.
Brown said Branch has loved baking since she was five years old and knew that she eventually wanted to open her own bakery. Brown said Branch had an art book where she detailed what the bakery would look like.
Her favorite treat to bake was cupcakes, or really, “anything she could put butter in,” Brown said.
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“She had her own set of stuff she used in the kitchen. Her own specific cupcake pans and mixer bowls that were just for her,” Brown said.
Beyond baking, Branch was a stellar student, Brown said. She had obtained an associate degree while enrolled in high school and was recently accepted to the University of Houston-Downtown, where she planned to pursue a finance degree.
She also designed her own clothing, volunteered with special education children at an elementary school and had a close relationship with her sister, Zara, who is a year younger. Brown, a single mother, said she could rely on Branch for anything.
“Anybody that’s reached out to me since the tragedy has happened, it’s all good stories: from her friends, the people at the school, the community about where she works at, any of the employees that had encountered her, her Uber drivers,” Brown said. “Anyone who has encountered Zion has felt a pleasantry. She was a really bright light.”
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Every morning, Brown popped by Branch’s room, asked if she slept ok, and the two would discuss what the day looked like — what time Branch needed to go to school, and later her work schedule. Brown said Branch, her firstborn, knew exactly what she wanted in life.
“She was the true essence of what a person would want out of a daughter,” Brown said. “I felt like she was cheated. I wish I could give her those chances because she looked forward to it.”