Fundraising page set up for family of Quincy boy killed in collision
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 9 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | April 19, 2021 1:00 AM
QUINCY — A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family of an 8-year-old Quincy boy killed in a car accident April 2 near Santa Nella, California.
The boy, identified as Angel, was a passenger in a car driven by his mother, Guillermina Gonzalez, 30, of Quincy, according to the GoFundMe page and information from the California Highway Patrol and the Merced Sun-Star.
Gonzalez was driving south on Interstate 5 at about 8 p.m. April 2 when she lost control of the car and drove into the median. She traveled through the median and into the northbound lanes, into the path of an SUV driven by Luis Castillo, 37, of Oakland, California.
Castillo’s car hit the right side of Gonzalez’ car, and her car traveled off the northbound shoulder before coming to rest off the roadway.
The 8-year-old was sitting in the right rear of the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl also were riding in the back of Gonzalez’ car and were ejected. Both suffered major injuries, according to a CHP release.
Gonzalez also was injured in the crash, the CHP release said. Castillo and a passenger in his car, Maria Ruiz, 42, of Oakland, suffered minor injuries.
“Angel was an amazing little boy, friendly, loving, caring, always smiling and willing to help others,” wrote Itzel Valle, who organized the fundraising campaign.
People donated $2,375 as of Sunday. People can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-and-medical-expenses-for-little-angel?qid=6ce277e057482ef33ef90a531f1cba9b.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
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