The family of seven children and a female driver killed in a head-on collision in Central California on New Year’s Day have released pictures of their loved ones.
Posting to GoFundMe pages the grieving relatives named those who lost their lives as Gabriela Verdin, Brooke Pulido, Giada Pulido, Jonah Pulido, Mia Pulido, Daniella Ayala, Camila Ayala, and Anthony Ayala. The names of those who died have not been confirmed by the Fresno County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The children, who were between six and 15 years old, were believed to be cousins. They were traveling in an overcrowded 2007 Ford that collided around 8 p.m. Friday with a Dodge vehicle on State Route 33 between Avenal and Coalinga.
Evidence from the scene indicated that the Dodge was traveling southbound on the highway when it veered onto the dirt shoulder for an unknown reason, the CHP said.
The driver of the Dodge, named by officials as 28-year-old Daniel Luna, then overcorrected and swerved into the southbound lane, where it struck the Ford.
Luna also died in the head on crash, authorities said.
Posting to GoFundMe pages the grieving relatives named those who lost their lives as Gabriela Verdin, Brooke Pulido, Giada Pulido, Jonah Pulido, Mia Pulido, Daniella Ayala, Camila Ayala, and Anthony Ayala. They shared this image; it is not known which children died in the crash
A second fundraising page in connection with the tragedy also pictures five children. It is not known if who is featured in the image. DailyMail.com has reached out to page organizers
The Ford burst into flames on the dirt shoulder, while the Dodge came to a stop straddling both lanes of the highway, the CHP said.
All eight people inside the Ford were killed, including the seven children.
The coroner’s office was working on identifying the victims in the Ford. DailyMail.com has contacted them for more details.
Seven children and two adult drivers were killed in a head-on collision in Central California on New Year’s Day, authorities said. A picture shows the fiery crash scene in Fresno
Two separate GoFundMe pages identify the children who lost their lives.
One, set up by Reyna Verdin, states: ‘Gaby and the kids were full of life and had so much future ahead of them.’
It says Gaby is survived by her sister Karina Verdin ‘who lost three of her own children in this tragedy’.
‘While we cannot begin to understand the reason we lost them all at once, we are burdened with the reality of having to lay eight family members to rest at one time. We take solace in knowing that they left this world together,’ the GoFundMe adds.
A second fundraising page in connection with the tragedy also pictures five children. It is not known if who is featured in the image. DailyMail.com has reached out to page organizers for more details.
The children, who were between six and 15 years old, were members of two related families traveling in a 2007 Ford that collided around 8 p.m. Friday with a Dodge vehicle on State Route 33 between Avenal and Coalinga, the Fresno County Coroner’s office and the California Highway Patrol said
CHP Central Division Cpt. Kevin Clays told ABC 30: ‘When the fire was extinguished, tragically, it was discovered there were eight occupants, seven of which appeared to be juveniles inside the Ford, all of which sustained fatal injuries.’
Officers also suggested that not all of the children inside were wearing seatbelts and there weren’t enough to cover all the occupants in the car.
Law enforcement is trying to determine if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash.
The aftermath of the crash site shows debris strewn next to the road