Prunedale, Calif. – One young man is dead and five others are in serious condition after an accident just before midnight Friday.
Concepcion Perez heard a knock at his door early Saturday morning, moments later his life changed forever. Officers told him his two sons were in a car crash.
"It's hard to explain, you don't want to see your kids die before you," said Concepcion Perez as he choked back tears.
His oldest son Timothy Perez was in the hospital with broken bones, and his youngest 21-year-old son, Joshua Perez, was killed. Perez came to the scene to see if any witnesses could help him piece together what happened. California Highway Patrol said a Honda Accord with 6 people was trying to pass another car in Prunedale on Friday night when it turned a blind corner.
Skid marks still mark San Miguel Canyon Road where the car lost control around a bend and crashed into a tree. Police said the passengers and driver were ejected from to the vehicle and witnesses say the scene was unbelievable.
"We heard a girl screaming that she was trapped and wanted to get out so we tried pulling her out. We saw another girl laying on the ground and blood everywhere," said Lupita Montano, who was one of the first people on scene to call police.
Bystanders pulled a female passenger from under a piece of the car that flew more than 40 feet from the crash.
"I hope people can learn from this because I've lost a friend and it's not something you can get over. I can only imagine what they are going through. I'm still shaken up," said Montano.
Neighbors and witnesses said this isn't the first accident on San Miguel Canyon Road near Strawberry Road. If something isn't done soon, they fear it won't be the last.
"We see people crash into trees even semi-trucks have broken branches off trees. The speed is a problem around here," said Carina Norzagaray, who lives on San Miguel Canyon Road.
"They need to do something because this is the second accident I've seen in front of me," said Montano.
The Perez family hopes their tragedy will compel city officials to take action.
"Money can never be enough to bring somebody back. But, they can help somebody else to be more safe that would be good," said Perez.
The California Highway Patrol said the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but the driver is still in the hospital recovering.
