LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Like any other sunny day, Carlos and Christopher Soto took their Chihuahua to a nearby Las Vegas dog park and planned to maybe grab Chipotle after, but within a few minutes of leaving their house the two brothers’ lives would change forever.

On Monday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a crash that occurred around 4:20 p.m. involving two electric scooters and a car near West Warm Springs Road and South Torrey Pines Drive.

The 22-year-old man identified as Christopher Soto and his 14-year-old brother, Carlos, were riding the scooters and taken to a local hospital, where staff pronounced Soto dead. As of Thursday evening, Carlos was at University Medical Center with critical injuries.

Cat Velazuez, Soto’s mother, said she already has received an outpouring of support from her son’s coworkers and friends who assembled a memorial at the crash site.

“Christopher has so many friends and so many support systems everywhere,” she said. “We just all love him. He was that big goofball, teddy bear, Dennis the Menace.”

Not far from Velazquez, her son Carlos is still going through surgery inside the pediatric wing of the hospital after suffering multiple injuries from the crash.

“My son is still in critical condition, but he’s fighting,” she said. “They won’t say he’s stable, but we’re all hoping he’s going to pull through, and he’s a fighter.”

Moments after first responders arrived at the scene of the crash, witnesses told Velazquez someone heard the cries of the 8-year-old Chihuahua, Carmella, from inside the bubble of a heavy, black backpack. The dog lying in the road was taken to the nearby Aloha Animal Hospital.

“She’s a little fighter too, so I know she’s going to make it,” Velazquez said. “They’re just taking care of her and feeding her and loving her.”

Velazquez said she wants the community to remember Christopher as the fun, outgoing person he was to his friends and coworkers from the nearby McDonalds and Chick-fil-A.

“They’ve been amazing, just supportive, loving, kind words, reaching out,” she said.

Velazquez said the memorial at the site of the crash has become a showcase of Christopher’s favorite things: sports cars, Prime energy, and music.

“It feels really good to see all the love and the support,” she said. “Because this is very difficult.”

One of the next big challenges will be the cost of burying and honoring Christopher’s legacy. Velazquez said she asks anyone who is able to help bury her son to donate to a GoFundMe, which one of her managers put together. 8 News Now has verified Katie DuBrule as Velazquez’s manager.

Velazquez said the pain has been unreal and unlike anything she has ever experienced, asking other parents to always hold their children close.

“Just hug your loved ones,” she said. “Tell your kids you’re proud of them. Never hang up without saying, ‘I love you.’”

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