Two Morgan Hill girls killed in crash with Tesla on Highway 152
(KRON) — Two young girls from Morgan Hill were killed on Highway 152 near Gilroy when a Tesla driver attempted to pass a big-rig truck, investigators said.
The westbound Tesla tried to get around the big-rig by driving in the eastbound lane on Friday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The wrong-way Tesla slammed head-on into the family’s Dodge van, and struck two more vehicles, the Gilroy Dispatch reported.
Elisa Ornelas, 7, and her 4-year-old sister, Valentina Ornelas, were passengers in the van and suffered fatal injuries, school officials said. The girls’ baby brother and the adult male driver survived, according to Gilroy Dispatch.
The girls’ family members wrote on GoFundMe, “There was a very painful tragedy in our family, we have two little angels in heaven.”
Elisa was a 2nd grade student at Jackson Academy of Art and Music in Morgan Hill. School principal Patrick Buchser wrote in a message to families, “It is with my deepest sympathies that I write to inform you that one of our students Elisa Ornelas … and her younger sister Valentina Ornelas, lost their beautiful lives. We are all devastated by this tragic news, and I spoke with the father to express our deepest condolences and offer all our full support to the family during this devastating time.”
Grief counselors will be at the school this week for students and staff members.
By Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $50,000 to pay for the girls’ funeral services.
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The Tesla driver suffered major injuries as he was transported to San Jose Regional Medical Center for treatment, the CHP said. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Officer Vasquez from the CHP’s Hollister-Gilroy office at 408-427-0700.
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