The victims of a brutal crash on the westbound 40 Freeway near Barstow have been identified by family members as a father and his three children.
According to a California Highway Patrol release, the crash occurred west of Hector Road in unincorporated San Bernardino County around 7:45 a.m. on May 4. The vehicle involved, a Dodge Ram pickup containing four occupants, veered off the road, traveled into the dirt and rolled over multiple times, authorities said.
CHP’s release, issued the day after the crash, stated that the driver veered off the road “for reasons still under investigation,” and as of Sunday, the probe into the crash had yet to be finished, although the release did state that impairment was not believed to be a contributing factor.
Media reports have identified the driver as 35-year-old Bryce Martinez of Yermo, and family members who reached out to KTLA confirmed the identities of the three other victims as his children: 17-year-old Cole, 15-year-old Trent and 10-year-old Sailor.
All four were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
A GoFundMe set up to help the children’s mother lay her children to rest after the crash called the situation “unexpected and, as you can imagine, heartbreaking.”
The fundraiser also stated that Cole, Trent and Sailor have two younger siblings named Peyton and Lynsey, and they are “navigat[ing] through their loss as well.”
“We have not fully come to understand what is in store for us,” the GoFundMe reads.
Click here to donate. Per the GoFundMe, donations can also be made to Dignity Memorial in Barstow.
