GREEN RIVER, Emery County — Utah Highway Patrol troopers released the names Monday of a California family involved in a Dec. 23 rollover crash in Emery County that killed a mother and her young son.
Victoriano J. Perez, 25, of Long Beach, was driving a Chevy Tahoe on I-70 with two women and six children inside when he overcorrected and rolled down an embankment just east of Green River, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.
Seven people were ejected in the ensuing crash, Royce said. Perez's wife, 23-year-old Maria Gonzalez, and their 7-year-old son, Victor Perez, were killed, the sergeant said. The driver and the other six occupants of the Tahoe were hospitalized in critical condition.
Victoriano Perez was still in critical condition Monday, making it impossible for troopers to talk to him about what may have caused the crash, Royce said. He did not have updated conditions for the surviving passengers, who were identified as Monica Perez, 30; Jose Perez, 8; Adrian Perez, 3; Aileen Perez, 3; Ivan Perez, 2; and Angel Perez, 1.
Victoriano Perez and Monica Perez are related by marriage, according to troopers. Their families were traveling in two vehicles to visit relatives in Denver when one of their vehicles broke down somewhere in central Utah, Royce said.
Some family members stayed behind with the disabled vehicle, but Monica Perez and her children got into the Tahoe with Victoriano Perez and his family, the sergeant said.
"That's why some of the seatbelts (in the Tahoe) were shared and some of the people in the SUV weren't in seat belts," Royce said. "It was kind of a perfect storm."
Troopers have said that impairment and weather did not appear to contribute to the crash. The exact cause is still under investigation.
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