Coroner identifies 2 adults, 2 children killed in fiery crash east of Riverbank
Authorities have identified the four people killed in a fiery crash east of Riverbank over the weekend as parents and their young children.
The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Oakdale couple Adrian Solorio Mendoza, 32, and Brenda Cisneros Vaca, 27, and daughters Ashley Solorio Cisneros, 2, and Ariana Solorio Cisneros. Two other children survived.
The four were in a 2014 Dodge SUV that crashed early Sunday morning along the Oakdale-Waterford Highway north of Claribel Road, according to authorities.
Emergency crews responded shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday following reports of a solo-vehicle crash involving a vehicle on fire, according to a Modesto Fire Department incident summary.
When firefighters arrived, they found four people trapped in the burning vehicle, Battalion Chief Jim Black previously told The Bee. All four were declared dead at the scene.
Two other children — a 12-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy — survived the crash and were able to get out of the vehicle.
The 12-year-old suffered major burn injuries and was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for treatment. The 7-year-old was treated locally for moderate injuries, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol as of Thursday could not positively identify the older children as being immediate family members but said they share the same last name and residential address.
According to the CHP, the preliminary investigation found the SUV was traveling north on Oakdale-Waterford Highway when, for reasons still under investigation, the driver went off the roadway and struck a concrete pillar near an irrigation canal.
The vehicle immediately became engulfed in flames, CHP Modesto office spokesperson Officer Tom Olsen previously told The Bee.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Olsen said investigators do not have any updates on the cause of the crash.
Authorities have not determined whether drugs or alcohol were factors, and the crash remains under investigation by the CHP.
On social media, family members and friends have been mourning the loss of the family. A GoFundMe fundraiser titled “Familia Solorio” has been created to help support the surviving children and relatives.
A benefit food sale is planned for Saturday, March 14, starting at noon at a residence on 965 Poppy Hills Drive in Atwater, with proceeds going toward funeral costs for the family members killed in the crash.
