The three women killed after a suspected drunk driver crashed into their car in Pomona were on their way home after attending a baby shower in Moreno Valley.
A 12-year-old girl and a 56-year-old man in the car were also injured.
Alejandra Olaez, sister-in-law Yesenia (Ochoa) Olaez, both 33 years old from Pomona, were killed along with a family friend, Lorena Morales, 58, of Montclair.
Saturday evening, they attended a baby shower for a Morales niece in Moreno Valley.
Morales was driving a Toyota Corolla, with her husband, Juan Garcia, in the front seat, said Aly Mejia, a Pomona police spokeswoman.
The other passengers, in back seats, were the sisters-in-laws and Alejandra Olaez’s daughter, Noemi Olaez.
The Corolla was heading north on White Avenue when a Toyota 4Runner, going eastbound on Phillips Boulevard, ran a red light and collided with the car, Mejia said.
The Corolla then hit a light pole and came to rest against a back wall on White.
Morales and a second woman died at the scene, Mejia said. The three other passengers were hospitalized, where one died.
Police said they arrested the SUV’s driver, 36-year-old Victor Siharath, 36, of Pomona on suspicion of felony DUI.
As of Monday, Siharath was being held at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles in lieu of $430,000 bail. Court records show he doesn’t have prior convictions in Los Angeles County.
“We were calling them (to see) if they’re already home,” said Jasmine Olaez, whose sister was Alejandra and was in another vehicle with others.
No one answered.
She checked Yesenia Olaez’s iPhone location and headed to the scene.
She couldn’t learn who was killed from the authorities.
“They told me a girl and an older man were in a hospital,” Jasmine Olaez said. “I rushed there.”
Garcia remained in the hospital as of Monday, she said. Jasmine Olaez said her niece was transferred Sunday to UC Irvine Medical Center and was scheduled for surgery on Monday.
“She’s stable,” the girl’s aunt said. “They have her on sleeping medication.”
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Alejandra Olaez was a hard-working mother who devoted most of her life to taking care of her children, almost never spending time on her own, her son Jaime Olaez wrote in a GoFundMe to raise money for her funeral.
“My mother was truly a great woman, mother, daughter, and sister,” he said.
Jaime Olaez, 17, is the oldest child of Alejandra Olaez; 12-year-old Noemi is the middle child and 7-year-old Valentina is the youngest, Jasmine Olaez said.
Yesenia Olaez, married to Jasmine’s brother, Jose Olaez, was in the process of adopting a nephew.
“She was a wonderful wife, daughter, sister and mother,” according to a GoFundMe for Yesenia Olaez. “Unfortunately, her life was cut short, leaving our family heartbroken.”
