3 Survivors of Fatal Crash in Fair Condition

A Brea police officer and two young girls remained hospitalized Thursday, a day after the girls’ uncle and grandmother were killed in a collision with the officer’s patrol car in an unincorporated area near Anaheim.

The accident shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday claimed the lives of Thomas Savas, 42, of Anaheim and his mother, Sophie Savas, 66, of Yorba Linda.

Officer Charles Croix, a 15-year veteran of the Brea Police Department, was in fair condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with wrist, neck and hip injuries.

Carissa Chenko, 8, and her 11-year-old sister, Samantha, who were visiting relatives in Orange County and were seated in the back of the car, were in fair condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange with cuts from flying glass. Carissa also suffered a broken ankle and collarbone.

The two cars collided as a Honda driven by Thomas Savas was making a left turn from Esperanza Road onto Fairlynn Boulevard and the patrol car was traveling west on Esperanza, said Brea Police Capt. Doug Dickerson. The Honda was struck on the passenger side and pushed into a light pole.

The on-duty officer was going to help out with an investigation nearby, Dickerson said. He did not have his flashing lights on because he was not responding to an emergency call, Dickerson said.

It was not known how fast the cars were traveling, but witnesses reported that the police car was going up to 45 mph, he said. Officials at the California Highway Patrol declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

Co-workers and neighbors of Thomas Savas were shocked to hear the news Thursday. They said he was engaged to be married and had worked as a building inspector for the city of Huntington Beach since August 1998.

He was close to his family and was running errands with his mother and nieces when the accident occurred, said Frank Biangone, another city employee, who had known Savas since the 1980s.