SANTA CLARITA, a California couple driving home from church with their daughter was killed after their vehicle was struck by a driver police believe was under the influence.
Patty Ortiz and Genry Ortiz were traveling late Friday night after spending the evening at the church they regularly attended with their 25-year-old daughter, Erin Ortiz. The parents never made it home, and Erin Ortiz was hospitalized with what authorities described as life-altering injuries after another vehicle collided with theirs at an intersection. Police said a suspect was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The family’s surviving son told local media that he is focused on supporting his sister as she recovers.
Eder David Ortiz, the son of Patty and Genry Ortiz, told ABC affiliate KABC that his sister was in significant pain following the crash. He said her wrist was badly injured and that she was experiencing pain throughout her body, leaving her with very limited mobility. He also told CW affiliate KTLA that she had suffered multiple fractures but was doing better than initially expected.
According to KABC, the Ortiz family was traveling in one of three vehicles involved in the crash, which occurred around 11:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Newhall Canyon Road and Bouquet Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, a city north of Los Angeles. Police said the suspected impaired driver struck the Ortiz family’s vehicle and then hit a third vehicle that had been stopped in the intersection.
The Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Office said one of the parents was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to a hospital and later died from their injuries. Erin Ortiz was hospitalized with severe and life-altering injuries that are expected to require extensive medical care, rehabilitation, and long-term support, according to a GoFundMe page started by family friends.
Police said a breath test was administered to the driver believed to have caused the crash, and the individual was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Authorities did not release the driver’s name.
