Two children were struck and killed by a car in California while attempting to retrieve luggage that had fallen from their vehicle.
Their mother, 33-year-old Sandra Ortiz, has been taken into custody in relation to the tragic event. The incident happened on the Route 78 Freeway in Vista, near San Diego, at approximately 6 pm on Sunday, June 18, as per local news sources. The victims of this devastating incident were a 16-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.
Miguel Aguilar, Ortiz’s long-term partner of 13 years, relayed to a news agency that there were an additional four children in the vehicle at the time of the accident, along with the two victims, Amy Monserrat Beltran and Alan Gerardo Aguilar. The family of eight has been reported to be homeless and living in their car.
The fatal accident occurred when Ortiz, who was behind the wheel of a green GMC Yukon SUV, pulled onto the freeway’s right shoulder. The children disembarked from the vehicle to retrieve a suitcase that had dropped off their car, during which they were hit by a passing white Nissan Sentra.
The 41-year-old driver of the Nissan, who is yet to face charges, stayed on the scene until law enforcement arrived. However, the children were declared dead on the spot. Ortiz was arrested on the spot on charges including DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and child endangerment, while she stayed in the car as her children ventured onto the highway.
The investigation into the crash’s circumstances by the authorities is ongoing.