LINWOOD, N.C. –A family is in mourning after a young mother of two was killed after a tragic, head-on collision in Tyro.

Michael Kendrick can’t believe his little girl is gone. 28-year-old Kari Barnes, a first year Davidson County Community College student, died Wednesday afternoon from injuries she suffered during a head-on collision Tuesday afternoon.

“When I got the call I jumped up and went down to the scene. When I got there it was worse than I thought,” Kendrick said.

The Highway Patrol says the accident happened around 3 p.m. on Highway 150 near John M. Ward Road in Tyro.

Investigators say Barnes was on her way home from the local pharmacy when 21-year-old Charles Branham crossed the center line and hit her.

Barnes’s two young children, ages 6 and 7, were in the backseat, along with their 9-year-old cousin.

The Highway Patrol says all three children were in the backseat and wearing seat belts. The kids had minor injuries and are expected to be okay.

“I just wish it could have been me. Kari was my rock,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick says Barnes was an organ donor  and her organs were used to help save the lives of seven people.

Meanwhile the Highway Patrol says charges against the driver Charles Branham are still pending.