Parents Lost All 6 Kids In A Tragic Las Vegas Car Accident: “We Are Destroyed And We Have No Words”
A heartbreaking car accident took place on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.
The now-identified driver, Gary Dean Robinson, 59, was driving his Dodge Challenger north-bound through Commerce Street at more than 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. Running a red light at the intersection of Commerce and Cheyenne Avenue, the car crashed into several other vehicles.
Involving 15 people total with nine deaths, both Robinson and passenger Tanaga Ravel Miller, 46, died in the accident.
Tragically, the other seven lives lost in the car crash were a family traveling together in a Toyota Siena, and included several children.
Parents Erlinda Zacarías and Jesús Mejía are mourning the loss of their six children: Fernando Yeshua Mejia, 5; Adrian Zacarias, 10; Lluvia Daylenn Zacarias, 13; Bryan Axel Zacarias, 15; Gabriel Mejia-Barrera, 23; and David Mejia-Barrera, 25. The seventh person in the car was Zacarías brother, Jose Zacarías-Caldera, 35.
According to the Clark County Coroner’s Office, the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Meanwhile, one other individual from another vehicle is hospitalized in “serious” condition.
Both Zacarías and husband Mejía are devastated by the accident that killed all six of their children, sitting down with Noticias Telemundo to talk about the horrifying tragedy.
Zacarías explained, “they destroyed our whole family. All our children. From the youngest to the oldest, not even one was saved. They’re all dead.” Describing their children as athletic, good students, and “amazing in every way,” Zacarías asserts, “we’re destroyed and we have no words or comfort for our immense pain.”
Husband and father Mejía said, “they were excellent children. They were everything to me, and I lost them.” Zacarías explained that she had planned to have lunch with her daughter Lluvia that day, but she suddenly wouldn’t answer her calls. Trying to call her other children, they wouldn’t answer either. She repeated the phrase, “they never came.”
Little is known about Robinson’s mental state at the time, and police have not confirmed whether or not he was driving under the influence.
Still, Mejía told Telemundo, “[people] should be conscious and not drive drunk or on drugs.” Police said they are still unsure if “impairment” was a factor in Robinson’s driving.
North Las Vegas Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown said, “our thoughts and our prayers are with the families who are experiencing a tremendous and unnecessary loss due to a careless and senseless act,” while police are urging people to “make this a safer community by slowing down” and to “pay attention to speed limits.”
As Mejía said, his children “had a lot of life left ahead,” making this tragedy even more devastating.
While a memorial has been created at the crash site to honor the victims, the Mejía-Zacaría family has now set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for costly funeral expenses.
As Zacaría herself wrote on the page, “me and my husband are in so much pain, we are asking you for help with [our] heart in hands, anything would be helpful thank you.” The family has raised more than $260,000 so far, an incredible feat that shows the power of community, and lending a helping hand to the people that need it the most.
