Father Unable to Save Family in Fiery Crash

A California man had just left a birthday party and was driving about a quarter-mile behind his wife and their four children when he saw a nightmare: Flames were suddenly shooting up in front of him and he soon realized they were coming from his wife’s car.

A minivan driver had failed to stop at an intersection and smashed into his wife’s SUV near Fresno, Calif. The SUV caught fire, trapping the mother; their sons, 1 and 3 years old; and their daughters, 6 and 11.

“The vehicle burst into flames somehow, which is kind of unique, but the parties were unable to get out of the vehicle,” CHP Capt. Dave Paris told ABC30-TV. “It appears the driver tried to get out but didn’t make it.”

The man, whose name was not initially released, ran to the SUV, broke the windows and tried to get his family out, but he couldn’t free them, witnesses said. A police captain said the mother tried to get out but failed to do so. The father suffered burns, and bystanders eventually pulled him away from the vehicle as flames shot up about 15 feet. Everyone inside died.

“The father relayed that he watched them and all of a sudden he saw this flash and he got into the intersection and the car was already on fire,” Paris told the news station, adding that he made “every effort he could to get his kids and family out.”

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-father-family-burning-suv-20140217,0,4886560.story#ixzz2tg5Wep11
The other driver, Juana Martinez Bejarano, was taken to a hospital with injuries.

Authorities said the family was traveling in two vehicles Saturday because they were on their way to pick up another child.

On The Web:
Father Suffers Burns Trying to Save Family Killed in SUV Crash
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-father-burned-family-killed-suv-crash-fresno-20140217,0,1789793.story#axzz2tfiUymgy
California Father Watches Family Die in Fiery Crash
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/16/california-father-watches-family-die-in-fiery-crash/