Vigil held for Disneyland-bound family of five killed in crash

Friends and loved ones of a family of five killed in a car crash while en route to Disneyland gathered in disbelief and shared grief during a vigil in Hesperia on Monday night.

The parents -- identified by relatives as Angelica Garcia-Garcia and Gerardo Jimenez -- were taking their three children, Ivan Jimenez-Garcia, 2; Freddy Garcia-Garcia, 9; and Cindy Jimenez, 4, to Disneyland on Sunday when a van veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into their Honda sedan, killing everyone inside, authorities said.

At the crash site at the intersection of Main Street and Balsam Avenue, Garcia-Garcia’s cousin told KTLA that the family was in a state of shock.

“I’m in denial,” Patrisia Garcia said. “I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it.”

The family had been headed to Disneyland to celebrate Cindy’s birthday when the van crashed into, and then rolled on top of, their car at about 7 a.m., family members and authorities said. The driver of the van, described only as a male, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said.

No arrests have been made as authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

“It’s hard to be here and know that that’s where they took their last breath,” Garcia said as dozens of relatives and friends milled about near the intersection.

The vigil took place on the same day that Cindy would have turned 5, family members said.

“She was happy, always playing around,” Garcia said of the mother, “and the kids, the kids.”

The family has set up two memorial funds, one for Garcia-Garcia at Wells Fargo, the other for Ramirez at Bank of America.