4 Killed, 2 Hurt When Car Hits Sport Utility Vehicle on Freeway

A family was in mourning Friday after four relatives were killed Thursday night in an accident on the northbound San Diego Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.

The victims died when their car slammed into a sport utility vehicle parked on the right shoulder, just south of the Ventura Boulevard exit, the California Highway Patrol said.

Killed were the driver, Carlos Eduardo Lainez, 26, and Eliza Marlene Mineros, 29, both of Van Nuys; and the driver’s sister-in-law and nephew, Jeymni Elizabeth Medina, 22, who was visiting with her 14-month-old son Luis Alejandro Lainez Jr. from Honduras.

Lainez was driving north when the car crashed into a sport utility vehicle parked at the shoulder of the freeway with its hazard lights flashing, said CHP Officer Bill Preciado. The car overturned, landing on its roof. Paramedics pronounced the four people dead at the scene.

Two people in the sport utility vehicle, driver Rafi Marchant, 19, of Culver City, and passenger Alex Kuechenberg, 17, of Woodland Hills, suffered minor injuries. They were treated and released from Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, a hospital spokeswoman said.

CHP officers had stopped minutes before the accident to help the occupants of the sport utility vehicle, Preciado said, but the officers left to respond to another emergency call. Before leaving, the officers told Marchant and Kuechenberg to stay inside their vehicle and fasten their seat belts, he said.

The three adults in the car were also wearing their seat belts and the baby was in a child safety seat, Preciado said.

The Lainezes were a close family of 11 siblings, many of whom met for lunch last weekend in San Diego, said Erwin Lainez, Carlos’ brother.

Carlos Lainez and Mineros had been dating for about two months, said Erwin Lainez, 30.

“As far as I know he was the happiest man on Earth,” said Erwin. “He fell in love with her right away.”

Erwin said he and his younger brother, a computer programmer, were “very tight.”

“I used to worry about him and he used to worry about me,” Erwin said. “I treated him like a son.”

He said he did not know where the four victims had been earlier Thursday evening, only that Carlos had said he had a surprise outing for them.

Medina, who was married to Erwin and Carlos’ brother Luis, and her son had been staying with relatives in Van Nuys since July. Erwin said he had informed her family in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, about the accident.

Erwin Lainez said Carlos was a polite man who often brought gifts to Erwin’s 4-year-old daughter.

“I’m going to miss him,” he said. “I’m going to miss them all.”

The family has begun to make arrangements for a funeral Wednesday and will send the bodies to Honduras for burial.

A fund has been established for the family of the deceased victims. Donations may be sent to the Lainez Foundation, in care of Union Bank of California, 14360 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA 91402.