A fundraising campaign was underway Tuesday to help cover funeral expenses for a Pomona family of four killed in a crash in Merced County after a trip to the Bay Area.
Authorities withheld the names of the victims pending next-of-kin notifications, but a relative told ABC7 they were Samuel Soto, 40; his girlfriend Alondra Lara, 22, who was six months pregnant; and their sons Nicholas and Diego Soto, ages 9 and 2.
The family was in a 2017 Nissan Altima about 8:30 p.m. Sunday on eastbound state Route 153, west of Gonzaga Road near Los Banos, when Soto lost control of the sedan. The vehicle, which was traveling between 65 and 75 miles per hour, traveled from the No. 1 eastbound lane across the No. 2 lane, through the dirt and grass median, across the westbound lanes and north shoulder before striking a tree broadside, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Shannon Stiers.
All four victims died at the scene.
Lara was not using a safety restraint at the time of the crash, according to the CHP, which reported that neither alcohol nor drugs, nor weather conditions, appeared to be factors in the crash.
According to a gofundme page, the crash was witnessed by Lara’s parents and siblings as they followed behind the victims in a separate vehicle.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the gofundme effort had raised about $4,150 toward a $60,000 goal.
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