Mother and daughter killed in distracted driving crash identified
The mother and daughter who died in a distracted driving crash on Interstate 5 last week were identified Tuesday by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.
Rael Verduzco, 30, and Erika Tineo-Verduczo, 9, were passengers in a Toyota sedan that was hit from behind in the southbound fast lane on March 3. They were from Ontario in Southern California.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver of the box truck admitted to momentarily looking away from the road when he reached for something inside the truck.
The Toyota had slowed down and was moving left into the center median because it got a flat tire, the driver told the CHP. The box truck cashed into the rear, right side of the Toyota.
The mother and daughter, who were in the front and rear passengers seats on the right side, died at the scene. The driver of the Toyota and a 4-year-old passenger sitting behind him suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the box truck was not injured.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
