Police Puzzled by Fiery Crash

Behind the garage of the Buena Park townhouse complex where David Howard lived, an unintended memorial reminded neighbors of the 4-year-old boy with the big brown eyes. There, where he and his father, Perry Howard, had played a game, the words “Honey Top, Money Hop, Funny Bop, Bunny Pop” still appeared in chalk on the pavement. So were four names, among them Perry and David.

Twenty miles away in Tustin, investigators puzzled Thursday over another saddening reminder of the crash that one day earlier had taken the lives of David and his 4-month-old half-brother, Jerrod. Burned into the street was the shadow of the family car in which they perished after an explosive fire that seriously injured the parents.

Perry Howard, 32, and Angela Howard, 24, remained in critical condition Thursday at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Angela Howard suffered burns over 50% to 60% of her body, and Tustin police said she has an 80% chance of survival. Perry was burned over 40% of his body, police said.

The fire has perplexed traffic investigators, who said most car fires are small and mostly smoke. “I’ve seen a ton of vehicle fires,” said Tustin Police Sgt. Steve Lewis, the traffic supervisor. “But none where it goes up like this.”

Mazdas do not have a history of catching fire, but an investigator from Mazda North American Operations was working with police.

The boys and their parents were waiting to turn left from Prospect Avenue onto Theodora Drive when their Mazda was rear-ended by a Lincoln Mark VIII. The Mazda caught fire and the impact pushed it into oncoming traffic, where a car smashed into it.

Neighbors rushed to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers and hoses, but were unable to save the boys.

The couple has been married about 2 1/2 years. David was Perry Howard’s son from a previous relationship.

The family were on their way from their rented townhouse in Buena Park to visit Perry’s parents a few blocks from the accident scene.

People living near the scene complained Thursday about cars that speed in the 40 mph zone on Prospect and said a stop light or a stop sign is needed. City staffers are researching files to see if anyone had written or called to ask that those measures be taken, said Doug Anderson, Tustin’s traffic engineer.

No accidents at the intersection have been reported to police for three years, he said.

Ten feet from the accident site, red and pink roses and bright sunflowers had been lain on the sidewalk, and a row of stuffed teddy bears stood guard over them. A photo of David Howard riding a horse was propped against a street sign.

“They were just a typical young family starting out,” said Dale Howard, Perry Howard’s father, in a choked voice as he was leaving to place more flowers at the sidewalk memorial. “I don’t know what else to say. We lost two beautiful children.”

Angela Howard was a hairstylist who had stopped working to take care of the kids. Perry Howard runs a spectrometer at a lab in El Segundo.

He recently had passed the physical examination for the Huntington Beach Police Department, a neighbor said, and was waiting to take the oral test.

The Howard family lived with two cats and their Doberman pinscher, Kaiser, in a home filled with toys and photographs of the kids. One photo shows David dressed as an angel, complete with wings sprouting from his back. Neighbor Maxine Marcus said she often watched David pushing himself along in his Day-Glo plastic truck.

Neighbors spoke in glowing, teary terms about the family. The boys were the only children in the complex. Neighbors often noticed the parents spending time with the boys.

Just the other day, Perry Howard was playing baseball on the grass with David.

“They were always playing with the kids,” said Jeannie Blair, the manager of their townhouse complex. “He was the most wonderful father I’ve ever met.”

Residents of the complex even wanted to preserve the little chalk game with the names of David and his dad.

“We don’t want to erase it,” said Karyn Anselmini. “We just want to leave it there.”

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Times correspondent Crystal Carreon contributed to this report.