FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Friends and family members are still grieving over the eight people who died in a deadly car crash in Madera County last Friday morning.
Farmworkers among 8 killed in Madera County crash, CHP says
Officers say it happened at around 6 a.m. near Avenue 7 and Road 22 in a rural area of Madera County. Seven of the eight people in the van were killed in the crash – as well as the driver of the truck. CHP has also confirmed that some of the victims worked at Lions Farms in Firebaugh.
There are candles, cross signs, flowers, and holy water to remember the victims who were killed in a horrific car accident.
It has been an emotional rollercoaster for Isabel Hernandez Ramos as she said one of the eight victims who died in a horrific car crash Friday was a close friend of hers.
She identified him as 58-year-old Roberto Robles Buñuelos.
She said they worked together in the agriculture fields from time to time.
“Mr. Roberto was always happy. He was a wonderful person, and I am always going to remember him,” said Hernandez.
Oscar Ruiz, a neighbor of Roberto, says the victim did not have family in the U.S.; they are all in the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa in Mexico, but calls Roberto his second dad.
“I’ve known him since I was a kid,” said Ruiz. “We were neighbors; he taught me how to drive.”
Many across the Central Valley who say they did not know any of the victims came by near Avenue 7 and Road 22 to pay their respects and condolences — including Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco as she said 7 of the 8 victims lived in Kerman.
“It is definitely a tragedy,” said Mayor Pacheco. “It has shaken our entire community. We are a very tight-knit community in Kerman, and for some of us to be lost in such a tragedy is daunting.”
Some friends and family members were at a funeral service office in Kerman, figuring out the next steps. Hector Orozco died in the crash and is remembered by his sister, Yesenia.
“He was a great dancer; he liked to cook outdoors,” said Orozco. “He was such a hard worker; he worked 7 days a week.”
Jose Juan Jacobo Talavera said he lost his brother 24-year-old Jubenal Jacobo Talavera in Friday’s car crash and says he left behind his one-year-old son.
“He came to the U.S. to help out his wife and kids back in his homeland,” said Jacobo Talavera. “All he did was work hard for them and hoped God could help him and his family.”
Local organization ‘FUERZA’ is stepping up and helping the victims’ friends and family.
Mayor Pacheco said a vigil will be held Saturday in Kerman.
While law enforcement has officially identified the driver of the truck, the names of the others killed in the crash have not been officially released by the Madera County Coroner’s Office or CHP. California Highway Patrol has since named the truck driver 78-year-old Robert Kovar from Auberry.
However, four of the men killed in the crash have been identified through verified GoFundMe online fundraisers: Hector Orozco, Juvenal Jacobo Talavera, Alfredo Morales, and Victor Hernandez.
GoFundMe has confirmed to YourCentralValley.com that the online fundraisers linked above have undergone “an enhanced due diligence review process” to ensure they are legitimate.
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