Inset: Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz. (GoFundMe). Background: St. Mary Cemetery in Sacramento, California, where Janessa was allegedly killed by a drunk driver (Google Maps).
A 13-month-old girl was mowed down by a drunk driver while visiting her great-grandmother’s gravesite during a Day of the Dead ceremony in California, cops say.
Miguel Landeros Guzman, 50, stands accused of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol in the death of Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz in Sacramento. He’s also charged with DUI causing injury to Janessa’s father, Joshua Mazur.
The crash happened around 4:45 p.m. Sunday at the St. Mary Cemetery in the 6700 block of 21st Avenue, according to Sacramento police. Janessa’s family was among hundreds of people honoring loved ones at the ceremony when Guzman’s car allegedly came barreling into the cemetery.
Jackie Patino-Diaz, Janessa’s mother and Mazur’s girlfriend, told the Sacramento Bee that they were there to honor Mazur’s grandmother, who died in August.
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They were sitting at the gravesite when they suddenly heard a car behind them.
“I just remember getting up, turning around and seeing the car coming this way,” Patino-Diaz told the newspaper. “I thought it was going to stop and turn.”
Instead, it barreled toward them, “hopped onto the grass” and ran Janessa and Mazur over, Patino-Diaz recalled.
Guzman allegedly tried to flee, but officers caught him and took him into custody. Paramedics rushed Janessa and her father to the hospital.
“Sadly, despite lifesaving efforts, the child succumbed to her injuries,” cops wrote.
Police described Mazur’s injuries as non-life-threatening, but family members said he was in the ICU.
“What was supposed to be a peaceful visit turned into a nightmare that has forever changed our family,” a GoFundMe page said. “We are heartbroken beyond words. No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing their child. Our sweet Janessa was taken from us far too soon, and we would give anything to have her back in our arms.”
Janessa was just learning to say “mama,” “papa” and “juice,” which she loved, according to the fundraiser.
“I was with her every day. She would wake me up in the morning, she would love her scrambled eggs and her juice and her little crackers every morning,” her mother told the Bee. “So I’m going to miss that little routine, waking up and changing her diaper and making sure she ate and watching her favorite movie, ‘Coco.'”
Mazur suffered a skull fracture along with a broken nose, arm and two ribs.
“He’s trying to heal and grieve at the same time,” Patino-Diaz told the newspaper. “I told him right now we’re just trying to focus on getting him better and getting him home. We can grieve together later on.”
Guzman remains in the Sacramento County Jail without bond. He is set to appear in court on Friday. He was previously convicted of DUI in 2009, per the Bee.
The post Little girl killed and father injured when drunk driver rams into them while visiting great-grandma’s gravesite during Day of the Dead ceremony: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.
