The San Francisco community remains in shock after a brutal crash that killed a Portuguese woman, her husband and one of the couple’s children on Saturday.
Tributes to the three victims have increased, and even a memorial has been created in honor of Matilda, 40, Diego, 38, and Joaquin, about a year.
In addition to the touching tributes to the family, there are some shocking and powerful accounts of the tragic incident that has already led to the arrest of the elderly woman.
“How could a car go so fast and destroy the entire bus stop,” said Joanna Dimayuga, a neighbor who witnessed the event.
Eyewitnesses reported that the car was traveling at a speed of about 90 kilometers per hour and in the wrong direction. There were no tire tracks on the ground.
The neighbor admitted that seeing such a scenario was “heartbreaking” and that she was still in shock. “It’s very difficult to unsee what we saw. I’m still shaking,” he shared.
Following news of the deaths, several people went to the site to pay their respects to the victims. The only survivor was the couple’s other son, who was only a few months old.
“I cannot erase from my memory the carnage I saw,” Joanna added.
According to reports, the father was thrown more than 20 meters and died on the spot. The mother and child, who eventually died, were taken to the hospital alive.
“The baby’s stroller was destroyed,” explained another neighbor, who said Joaquin was inside the stroller when he was hit.
The child, who is about a year old, was thrown to a height of more than 18 meters. A memorial has been erected at this site.
“You just want to hug your kids a lot and be grateful for every minute you have with others,” said neighbor Michelle McCauley, as quoted by CBS News. The woman brought her husband and children to the memorial.
A pedestrian advocacy group in San Francisco erected another monument at a bus stop with a white baby stroller and three pairs of shoes, one for each victim.
The group urged people to take flowers, stuffed animals and toys to the bus stop where the accident occurred.
A vigil was also held on Monday.
Local prosecutor calls for calm
Brooke Jenkins, a San Francisco prosecutor, urges people to remain calm and trust the work of investigators.
“While I understand the immediate desire to know what will happen in this case, I ask everyone for a great deal of patience as investigators continue to seek additional information so we can make the right decisions.”
“The vehicles need to be analyzed in detail to understand whether any mechanical problem contributed to the accident,” he concluded.
At the hospital where she was taken after the accident, the 78-year-old woman responded with a statement to the incident.
The statement, signed by the detainee’s lawyer, said she was cooperating with authorities and asked that her privacy be respected.