Five family members died Tuesday, after a car crash that occurred in the California city of Lodi.
Police told the Associated Press that the deceased - which includes a pregnant woman and three children - were passengers in an extended cab pickup truck that got stuck in the middle of a central intersection during rush hour. Police Lt. Sierra Bruscia told AP that law enforcement officials were still in the midst of an investigation, and that he didn't have many details to report about the crash. He did mention, however, that investigators were talking to eyewitnesses who stated that the driver of an SUV that was involved in the wreck was driving above the speed limit while talking on a cell phone a few seconds before the crash. Bruscia was unsure as to whether the victims were wearing safety belts.
"It's definitely a very traumatic incident," he told AP, adding that police were looking at the wreck as a criminal investigation.
The identities of the dead family have not yet been publicized, but Bruscia did say that a man in his 30s, a woman who was seven months pregnant and also about 30 years of age, along with a 12-year-old boy, a 7-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl were killed from the crash. A 9-year-old boy is currently in critical condition.
The five family members were all Mexican citizens, according to Mexican Consulate spokesperson Mariana Carine Tyler. She told the Stockton Record that the children attended Lodi schools.
Witness Erin Andrews told KCRA-TV that she saw an SUV swerving around cars at high speeds near the site of the crash.
Westley Ruyle, who also witnessed the accident, said that the driver nearly crashed into a few vehicles before smashing into the family's car. He reportedly called 911 after seeing a "huge dust cloud."
"I approach and see this big old pile of mess, children laying out in the street, on the curb and bodies everywhere, and vehicles totally messed up," he stated.
Lodi is a California city located about 35 miles south of Sacramento.
