Insets, clockwise from top: Timothy Chavez (Fresno police), Martha Hernandez (GoFundMe), Adrian Hernandez (GoFundMe). Background: Police in Fresno, California, retrieve a vehicle after it crashed into a canal (KFSN).
A driver killed a mother and her 9-year-old son when he sent their vehicle barreling into a California canal before he fled the scene, authorities say.
Timothy Seth Chavez, 22, is facing two counts each of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, along with driving on a suspended license and driving without insurance. He”s accused of killing 41-year-old Martha Hernandez and her son Adrian Hernandez.
The crash occurred just before 2 a.m. on Monday on McKinley Avenue and State Road 41 in Fresno, cops say. Police say Chavez ran away after the accident.
“This man showed no concern and no remorse running away from the scene on foot ignoring the consequences of his behavior,” wrote Lilliana Perez, Hernandez’s niece, in a GoFundMe to benefit Martha Hernandez’s other son. “My aunt and her youngest son were unfortunately left in a desperate situation. This aftermath left their car stuck in a nearby canal.”
First responders found Hernandez in the car. They rushed her to the hospital where doctors pronounced her dead. But there was no sign of Adrian.
“First responders were unaware her 9-year-old son was in the vehicle during the incident and was swept away by the water and found hours later miles away,” Perez wrote.
The mother and son were headed home from an Easter celebration.
“Our Adrian was a very pure and innocent person — a son, brother, student who loved school and was always involved in church with his mother,” Perez wrote.
Hernandez’s other son is set to graduate from high school later this year.
“He not only is left to face this milestone without his mom and little brother but also left with the weight to give his mother the funeral she deserves by giving her a service in her hometown and by transporting her to her childhood hometown in Mexico where her closest loved ones await,” said Perez. “The sudden loss has brought unexpected funeral expenses and living costs at a time that should be filled with hope and celebration.”
Chavez turned himself in to the Fresno County Jail on Monday night.
