Lorena Lopez, 33, an Apple Valley mother who was five months pregnant with twins, died Saturday night after a violent two-vehicle crash that also left two of her children badly hurt. Deputies say another driver allegedly blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Wichita Road and Zuni Road and slammed into the side of Lopez’s car. First responders pulled the other driver from a burning vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, while Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene. Later, relatives and neighbors gathered at the intersection to grieve and light candles.
Crash details
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that deputies, Apple Valley Fire Protection District crews and AMR medics responded at about 8:21 p.m. to reports of a serious collision at Wichita Road and Zuni Road, according to the Los Angeles Times. Investigators allege a 25-year-old man driving a 2022 Toyota Camry northbound failed to stop at a posted stop sign and broadsided Lopez’s 2021 Nissan Altima. The Camry caught fire, and firefighters and medics extricated its driver and took him to a hospital. Two occupants of Lopez’s vehicle were transported to a trauma center with serious injuries, officials said.
Family and vigil
A growing roadside memorial of candles, balloons and flowers now marks the crash site, where loved ones gathered to remember Lopez. Her boyfriend, Albert Benitez, called the loss “unfair,” speaking to reporters at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Times. An online fundraiser on GoFundMe describes Lopez as “a loving mother whose life was cut short far too soon” and notes she was five months pregnant with a boy and a girl. The organizer also identifies the two hospitalized passengers as her children. Friends and relatives held a quiet vigil as investigators continued to document the scene.
Investigation
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is leading the case, and authorities have not released the names or conditions of the injured children or the Camry driver, ABC7 reported. Deputies are asking anyone who witnessed the collision to contact the Apple Valley Sheriff’s Station as they work to piece together what happened, according to footage and reporting from OnScene.TV.
