Three girls were killed and a fourth was critically injured in a hit-and-run collision involving a pickup truck over the weekend in Lucerne Valley, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
The four pedestrians, two of whom were in wheelchairs, were heading north in the northbound lane of Camp Rock Road near Rabbit Springs Road around 10:20 p.m. Sunday when they were struck from behind by a white 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, according to a CHP news release.
After the crash, the truck’s two occupants got out of the truck and fled, officials said.
Emergency personnel responded and pronounced three of the girls dead at the scene. The victims were identified by the San Bernardino County coroner’s office as as 11-year-old Willow Sanchez, 12-year-old Daytona Bronas, and 13-year-old Sandra Mizer, all Lucerne Valley residents.
The fourth girl, whose age was not given, received major injuries and was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center.
On Monday evening, some people could be seen gathering at the crash site, where a small memorial of candles, teddy bears and flowers had been left by the side of road, video showed.
A father of a friend of one of the victims described the ordeal as “surreal,” saying it didn’t seem real.
“Just can’t believe she’s gone and she’s not going to be able to make the kind of memories she should make,” Christian Baltz, who knew Mizer, told KTLA.
“I mean, it’s murder. And they are kids. And you’re just going to run away,” he continued. “I’m outraged, and everybody should be outraged. It’s hard to fathom.”
A GoFundMe fundraising page has been started to help the families of the victims.
CHP is investigating the crash and said it’s still not known whether drugs or alcohol potentially played a role in the triple fatal collision. Authorities also don’t know how fast the pickup was going when it struck the girls.
A suspect description has not been released.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the crash to come forward and call Officer L. McAllister of the CHP’s Victorville office at 760-241-1186.