A mother and her four children were killed in a car crash in Salem, Oregon, on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 8, KGW reported.
A Buick Century, driven by Lisette Medrano-Perez, 25, collided with a Landrover driven by Favian R. Garcia, 27, at 4:30 p.m. according to Oregon State Police.
The two cars collided head-on when both drivers were negotiating a corner of Highway 99E and Nevada Street NE.
Police say that Garcia was intoxicated at the time of the crash and charged him with five manslaughter counts, driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, and driving while suspended.
After taking Garcia to a local hospital for minor injuries, police booked him into a Marion County Jail.
He has outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court for a DUI citation and for interfering with emergency calls from earlier in the year.
According to court records, he was arrested in August and granted a conditional release.
Garcia also received a DUII in 2011 and was arrested in 2013 for interfering with a probation officer and committing third-degree escape.
Police are investigating the exact cause of the crash. The road was closed as officers collected evidence.
The father of one of the first responders wrote about his experience on Facebook.
“My son was a responder,” Bob Johnson wrote. “Sadly, retrieved and transported all of them to his funeral home. Most emotional call he has ever had to make. Went home and tightly hugged his wife and his 7 children.”
Two vehicles crashed in Gresham on Sunday, killing a bicyclist. A man from Molalla, the same town as the mother in the crash, was killed in a crash on Highway 211 on Saturday. Another crash on Saturday killed a man from Dallas near Lincoln City. An 18-year-old was killed in a crash on Highway 58 at the intersection with Rattlesnake Road.
Police are asking witnesses who have not been questioned to contact (800) 452-7888.
