Father Sees His Family Crash, Fails to Save Them From Fiery Explosion (VIDEO)
A father's family crashed in Fresno, Calif. Saturday and the man was unable to save them from the burning wreckage of the car accident. He had been driving behind his wife and four young children when a minivan plowed into them in an intersection, resulting in a fiery explosion.
The father saw his family while driving behind them in Fresno County to pick up another child. He fell back about a quarter mile, and when he came upon the intersection. He saw their Ford Expedition SUV ablaze, California Highway Patrol Officer Axel Reyes told the Associated Press. They were struck by Juana Martinez Bejarano's minivan when she ran a stop sign at about 60 mph.
"You almost could not have timed it any better, the two front corners" of the cars hit near the engine blocks, which caused the explosion and flames, Reyes explained. "[The man] didn't see the actual impact but arrived second later and rushed to the burning car. By that point, the car was almost fully engulfed."
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The man reached his family and attempted to break the windows to drag them out, but failed, burning his hands in the process. Inside were his 29-year-old wife and four children, ages 1, 3, 6, and 11. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Bejarano survived the accident and the 41-year-old was taken to Community Regional Medical Center to be treated for major injuries. Authorities said that the speed of her 2004 Nissan was not a factor in the crash; illegal drugs and alcohol are also not suspected.
However, Bejarano's medical history indicates that she could have been on medication during the accident. There has not been an arrest, as "an investigation [is] continuing," Reyes said.
