ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) — Heartbroken family members on Sunday mourned a 2-year-old girl and her grandfather who were killed the previous evening in a two-vehicle crash involving a suspected DUI driver on the 5 Freeway in Anaheim.
The victims were identified by relatives as Sofia Barrera and 73-year-old Albino Barrera, the patriarch of the family.
The granddaughter and grandfather had posed for pictures in a photo booth at a fellow church member’s birthday party before the Saturday crash.
“My dad’s not the kind of person to take pictures. He doesn’t like to take so many pictures,” Herby Barrera said in an interview, his voice choking with emotion. “It was something that’s going to live in our hearts forever because he decided to come to my niece and say, ‘Hey, let’s go take a picture.’ They were the last ones to take a picture in that photo booth. We left, and it’s the last picture we have of them together.”
Shortly after, around 7 p.m., Sofia’s mother was driving the family home when their SUV was hit while merging onto the 5 Freeway near the 91 Freeway interchange in Anaheim.
Both grandparents were in the back seat with Sofia. Their grandson Ishmael Barrera Romero was in the front passenger seat.
Albino was ejected from the SUV and died instantly.
“As soon as I got out of my seat, I saw my grandpa Albino on the floor,” a tearful Ishmael told ABC7.
Sofia also died from her injuries. Her mother and grandmother were rushed to a hospital. Ishmael was not seriously injured, but suffered a devastation that will live with him long after his bruises heal.
“I was just in shock, I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I was crying, I was calling for help. I saw witnesses there that were already calling the cops.”
On Sunday, the Barrera family gathered as they normally do on Easter, but this time with unimaginable heartache.
“It’s very difficult to process but we’re just coming together as a family, trying to just support one another,” Herby Barrera said.
The driver of the SUV that collided with the Barrerra family’s vehicle was hospitalized after the crash. She is suspected of DUI, according to the California Highway Patrol. Her name has not been released.
“This could be prevented if people are responsible with their driving,” Herby Barrera said. “Two loved ones were taken away from us because someone was careless.”
