A mother has been charged after her two children were killed Sunday when they ran into traffic on a busy California highway to retrieve luggage that had fallen off of the vehicle they were riding in.
Ten-year-old Alan Aguilar and 16-year-old Amy Beltran were traveling with their mother on Route 78 in San Diego county when a piece of luggage fell off of their green GMC Yukon and onto the busy highway just around 6 p.m., according to NBC San Diego. The children’s mother, 33-year-old Sandra Ortiz, pulled over to the shoulder as the children exited the vehicle in an attempt to retrieve the luggage when they were struck by a Nissan Sentra, ABC News reported.
A mom is accused of DUI after her 2 kids are killed on freeway in Vista. And gunshots fired through a Pacific Beach neighbor’s door turns into SWAT standoff, ends in an arrest. Plus, MTS bus driver strike ends in East County, South Bay after a close vote. https://t.co/PRL3IKUsP8
— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) June 20, 2023
Miguel Aguilar, the children’s father, revealed that at the time of the incident four other children had been in the car, NBC San Diego reported. Aguilar said their family was homeless and had been sleeping in the car and staying in hotels. Ortiz and the children were on their way to a nearby park to sell bracelets in an effort to earn money when the tragic accident occurred, the outlet stated. (RELATED: ‘Horrible And Unintentional Tragedy’: NYPD Officers Won’t Face Charges After Accidentally Killing Pedestrian)
“I wish I could have been there,” Aguilar told NBC San Diego. “That way I could have done something. I would have been the one getting off — stop the traffic or something — instead of my children in the middle of traffic getting hit.”
The children’s mother was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and child endangerment, in connection with the incident, ABC News reported. The 41-year-old driver of the Sentra, who has not been identified, stayed on the scene and is currently not facing any charges, the outlet stated.