A Maltese woman has died in a traffic accident in Texas and her friends are raising money to help her family and that of her Maltese husband to attend the funeral..

Kirsten Salerno, 28,  was killed on Thursday when another car veered into her car.  

Kirsten was the wife of Stefano, also Maltese, coach of the A&M Consolidated High School soccer team.

Fund-raisers are accepting cash, food donations, and even frequent flyer miles.

"We're doing all we can to raise as much cash as we can for the families of both Coach Salerno's wife and his family to come here to mourn the death of his wife," said a friend.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, but  it is believed that both vehicles were travelling at the speed limit of 70 when the crash happened.

"This particular road there's not much room for error. There's a lot of hills, a lot of curves, and you know at 102 feet per second at 70 miles an hour it doesn't take much to get across the centre strip," said Senior Corporal Jimmy Morgan with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

So far more than $7,000 has been raised, money that will help unite families half a world away.

Two local club soccer teams will also launch a fundraiser by selling wristbands in Kirsten Salerno's memory for $5 each.