APPLE VALLEY, California — A family stopped at an intersection on a Tuesday night. They never made it home.
On July 29, just before midnight, a Dodge minivan ran a red light at Yucca Loma and Apple Valley roads and slammed into a Volkswagen SUV carrying a couple and their three children.
The force of the crash pushed the Volkswagen into a second vehicle traveling through the intersection.
When deputies arrived, three members of the same family were pronounced dead at the scene.
A mother, a nurse, a daughter — gone
The coroner identified the victims as Theodora Wilson, 39, and her two young children — Rose Valenzuela, 7, and Felix Valenzuela, 6.
Theodora was a registered nurse and the director of Labor and Delivery at Desert Valley Hospital. She was described by family as deeply loved by her community.
Her husband and their surviving daughter were rushed to the hospital with major injuries.
Suspect charged, court date set
Authorities arrested Hendrix Arcadio Collado, 43, of Hesperia, at the scene. He was suspected of driving under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.
On August 4, prosecutors charged him with three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and two counts of reckless driving causing great bodily injury. No DUI charge was filed.
Collado is being held on $250,000 bail. A video hearing at Rancho Cucamonga Superior Courthouse is scheduled for August 5.
Family asks for support
A relative started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral and medical costs, writing: “Those babies had so much life ahead of them. No words can truly express the pain of losing multiple generations of family in such a sudden and devastating way.”
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the Apple Valley Police Department at 760-240-7400.
What do you think the consequences should be for drivers who cause fatal accidents while impaired? Share your thoughts in the comments.