Relative Recounts Receiving Heartbreaking News of Fatal Crash

Shamela Pinelo, a relative of accident victims Keilin Pinelo and Abigail Bradley, shared the devastating experience of learning about their deaths. According to Pinelo, she first became concerned after receiving a call from her young niece, who was worried that her sister, who had gone to Melchor to shop, might have been involved in the accident. Efforts to contact Abigail were unsuccessful, and repeated calls went unanswered.

“I called her brother and I asked him if she was at home. He said he will go and check and when he checked, she wasn’t there.

Her fears grew when she finally got through to Abigail’s phone, only for a police officer to answer and advise her to come to the crash site. Pinelo says that at that moment, she already knew what awaited her. “If they were at the hospital, the police would have said to go to the hospital. I knew what I was coming to see.”

Upon arriving at the scene, Pinelo witnessed bodies on the highway.

Other families soon arrived, each met with the heart-wrenching task of identifying their loved ones. She described how interconnected the victims were, explaining that some were in-laws or relatives of her close family members.

Later that night, another family contacted her, searching for a missing brother who had been travelling with Pinelo’s niece and cousin. Pinelo accompanied the woman to the hospital and police station, where they too received the tragic news.

“It’s very heartbreaking,” Pinelo added.

The crash involved a Toyota Corolla, a Ford Expedition, and a motorcycle. The Toyota Corolla, carrying nine passengers, collided with the motorcycle, causing a fiery explosion that killed everyone in the car and the motorcyclist. The victims have been identified as Ruduel Parham (driver), Shailer Lopez, Abigail Bradley, Keilin Pinelo, Jaheim Inglesias, Aimie Hernandez, Dennis Williams, Jasmine Rodriguez, and Jazelle Rodriguez. Two passengers in the SUV were critically injured, while the other two sustained minor injuries.