It was supposed to be just another Saturday evening drive for the Hernandez and Orozco family until things took a tragic turn on a stretch of State Route 18. Around 7:50 p.m. on May 9, life changed forever for a Pacoima couple and their young nephew. Javier Hernandez Ramirez and his wife, Marisela Orozco, were traveling with their family when a sudden collision ended their journey far too soon.
The couple was joined by 18-year-old Alfredo Orozco from Covina, who was just starting his adult life. They were all packed into a silver Honda Odyssey, heading eastbound near Minero Road. For reasons still being looked into, a black Jeep Wrangler heading the opposite way crossed over the line. The impact was heavy and immediate, leaving the minivan mangled in the middle of the two-lane highway.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene in Pinon Hills, but the loss was already heavy. Javier, Marisela, and young Alfredo didn’t make it out of that wreck. The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office later confirmed what the family’s loved ones dreaded most. Three empty seats at the dinner table now mark a hole that no one can really fill.
Inside the minivan, three other passengers were left fighting for their lives. The scene was chaotic as first responders called for air support. Two people were quickly airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center with very serious injuries. A third person was rushed by ground ambulance to get help as fast as possible. It is the kind of nightmare no family should ever have to wake up to.
The person behind the wheel of the Jeep Wrangler walked away with minor injuries. They were taken to St. Mary Medical Center to get checked out, but they are expected to be physically fine. Investigators from the CHP’s Victorville office have been busy piecing together the moments leading up to the crash. So far, they have ruled out drugs and alcohol as factors in this tragedy.
It seems like a simple, terrible mistake of drifting across a lane, but the cost was anything but simple. This was a family that looked out for each other, now forced to figure out how to move forward without their anchors. The community is already stepping up to help, knowing the road ahead for the surviving children is going to be incredibly steep.
Friends and neighbors have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the massive costs of three funerals and the medical bills piling up for the survivors. Paola Hernandez is leading the effort to keep her family afloat while they grieve. It is a long road to healing, but the outpouring of support shows that even in the darkest times, people won’t let this family walk alone.
