Family of 9 packed into minivan for fatal Niagara Falls trip: cops
The New Jersey family involved in a fatal car crash near Niagara Falls had nine people, including three 4-year-olds, packed into a minivan without any car seats, authorities said Monday.
Two of the dead were identified as Ondina Castro De La Cruz, 47, and Mayelin Brito-Castro, 32. Both women were in the van along with the third fatal victim, 4-year-old Kiara Hernandez, according to NBC New York.
The women were fatally ejected when a drunken driver in a pickup truck blew a stop sign in Sheldon and T-boned the family’s minivan Sunday, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s office said.
The pair were pronounced dead at the scene, while Kiara died of head injuries about an hour later at a local hospital, according to officials.
Authorities said the family was from the Perth Amboy area and had crowded into a seven-passenger vehicle to make the trip to Niagara Falls.
Six other family members inside the car were injured and admitted to local hospitals. Reyes Rodriguez, 55, was released after receiving treatment, but an adult woman and four children, including the other two 4-year-olds, a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old, remained hospitalized Monday, according to officials.
“The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office is still obtaining details of the family dynamic (how each are related) and how they were all positioned in the vehicle,” officials said in a statement. “What is clear is not everyone was wearing a seat belt and no child seats or booster seats were in the vehicle.”
Authorities said the family was heading west on Route 20A when their vehicle was struck by 20-year-old Richard Sawicki of upstate Lackawanna.
Sawicki was arrested on scene and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and DWI. He remains in custody at Wyoming County Jail on $200,000 bond.
