Lodi crash: Boy, 9, in critical condition after parents, siblings die

October 24, 2013|By Ari Bloomekatz

A 9-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a six-vehicle crash in Lodi killed five of his family members, police said.

Eden Miranda remained in critical condition Thursday at UC Davis Medical Center after the collision Tuesday killed three of his siblings as well as his father and pregnant mother, Sacramento's Fox 40 reported.

About 250 people attended a vigil Wednesday night for Stephanie Miranda, 4; Jose Miranda, 5; Irving Miranda, 11; Luis Miranda, 30; and Vivian Rodriguez, 31, who was pregnant.

The vigil was held at the intersection of Ham Lane and Vine Street, the site of the collision.

"Never forget the Miranda family," read a handwritten note left around a streetlight at the intersection. "Gone but never forgotten," read another, the Lodi News-Sentinel reported.

During the vigil, 13-year-old Sabien Tafoya lit a candle for his friend Irving Miranda and recalled always joking with him.

"He was smart," Tafoya told the News-Sentinel. "He was funny. He always made all his friends laugh. He was a fun, cool kid to be around."

Some family members expressed anger about reports that the driver of the SUV had been talking on a cellphone at the time of the crash, the News-Sentinel reported. Witnesses also said the SUV was going nearly 90 mph just before the crash.

A relative of the victims, Yuli Campo, told Fox 40 that "the guy that provoked the accident didn't die. Why them and not the guy that made the accident? It's just not fair for them."

The news channel also said a fundraiser is planned to help the Miranda family on Oct. 26 at the IHOP restaurant in Lodi.

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Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com

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