Families mourn teenagers killed in Orange County crash. ‘She was a good kid’
- Share via
Four teenagers have been identified as among those killed in a crash in Santa Ana over the weekend, authorities said.
The crash, which remains under investigation, occurred about 11:25 p.m. Saturday on Segerstrom Avenue, between Raitt and Greenville streets, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The driver of a Lexus sedan was speeding on Segerstrom a few blocks west of Carl Thornton Park and hit a tree, said Santa Ana Police Officer Natalie Garcia. Four people, including the driver, were killed in the crash. Two others were rushed to a hospital.
The Orange County coroner’s office has identified four of the victims as Santa Ana residents Arely Robles, 19; Emanuel Gonzalez Martinez,18, who was the driver; Natalia Vidal Zarate, 17; and Jacqueline Torres Zarate, 16.
A van crashed into pedestrians in downtown Los Angeles’ Santee Alley on Sunday afternoon, resulting in nine injuries including those to three children.
A fifth teen, who is a student at Carr Intermediate School, was on life support Tuesday and showed no signs of brain activity, Garcia said.
Ignacio Robles told KNBC-TV that two of his daughters were passengers in the vehicle and one of them, Arely, was killed.
“She was a good kid,” he told the station. “She didn’t talk much, she didn’t do drugs, didn’t drink.”
According to a GoFundMe page, Arely’s sister, Arlene, is still in a hospital receiving treatment for serious injuries.
“Words cannot express the heartbreak and grief our family is feeling,” the GoFundMe page states. “Arely was a bright light in all of our lives — loving, kind and full of dreams. The pain of losing her is indescribable.”
The driver, an unidentified woman, fled the scene in the Crenshaw District before officers arrived and left the boy, a woman and a third passenger behind, the LAPD said.
The Santa Ana Unified School District confirmed that students from Valley High School and Carr Intermediate School were killed in the crash.
“Our entire SAUSD community is devastated by this unimaginable loss,” according to a district statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, and our thoughts remain with the two individuals who are recovering.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
