Charlotte investigators said a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling on Oakdale Road when the boy ran across the road, chasing a ball. That's when police said 51-year-old Lydia Morales saw the child, who was a family friend, and pushed him out of the way before she was hit by the truck.
Paramedics immediately transported Garcia to the hospital where she later died.
ABC-affiliate WSOC reports that she had just celebrated her 51st birthday 11 days prior. She was also a grandmother who recently battled and survived COVID-19.
"It's horrible. It's a horrible experience for a family to endure any kind of loss like that, I feel very very sorry for them," Garcia's neighbor Gina Sirhan told WSOC.
The child was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure but is said to be ok.
Detectives said the driver was not impaired and that speed was not a factor in the crash. No charges were filed.