Family driving to graduation is killed, including 4-year-old twins, in fiery SoCal crash
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- Five members of a Fresno family, including 4-year-old twin girls, were killed along with another driver in a fiery T-bone collision on a Mojave Desert highway.
- The two cars involved in the crash burst into flames on the eastbound State Route 62 near Cadiz Road in San Bernardino County.
- The family members were on their way to a graduation ceremony in Arizona.
Five members of a family, including 4-year-old twin girls, were killed recently in a fiery Southern California highway crash, according to the California Highway Patrol. They were reportedly on their way to a graduation.
A Fresno man, his wife and brother, and the couple’s daughters were killed May 22 in the crash in San Bernardino County. The driver of the vehicle that struck them was also killed. The motorist in that second car lost control of their vehicle, veered off the road, then reentered the roadway, crossed the double-yellow line and collided with the car driven by the Fresno family. The impact caused both cars to catch fire, according to the CHP.
Another vehicle was involved in the crash, but none of its four occupants was injured, the CHP said.
The family members were identified as Sergio Leon, 38; Herminia Hernandez, 39; Antonio Leon, 36; and 4 year-old twins Naomi and Nyah Leon. The driver in the car that struck them was identified as Holly Chafey, 60, according to the county coroner.
Leon and his family were on their way to a graduation in Arizona. A cousin told Houston-based Fox26 News: “We had family members starting to arrive. As they were arriving ... Sergio, Antonio, Naya, Naomi, and Mini never showed up.”
The CHP responded to the incident at 8:20 a.m. on the eastbound side of State Route 62, near Cadiz Road, in the community of Freda, according to a county Sheriff’s Department news release. Of the 10 involved, six were pronounced dead at the scene, the agency said.
Freda is deep in the Mojave Desert, about 40 miles west of the Arizona state line and east of Joshua Tree National Park.
In a fundraiser created by a relative of the Fresno family, Sergio Leon was remembered for his “hardworking spirit” and “generous heart” and Hernandez for her warmth and compassion. The twins were described as inseparable with “bright smiles” and “playful energy.”
“The impact each of them made on their family, friends, and community will never be forgotten,” the GoFundMe said.
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