CREST, Calif. (KGTV) - A memorial service was held Thursday night for a 72-year-old grandmother killed in a head-on crash in Crest, as a local planning group begins seeking public input on safety improvements along the stretch of road where she died.
Josefina Sanchez was killed when a truck driven by a 30-year-old woman crossed the double yellow line along La Cresta Road and Coyote Ridge, striking her car head-on. The California Highway Patrol says alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash.
Josefina had been in town to visit her son after her husband died of a heart attack 12 days prior in Mexico.
Hours before the memorial service, her son Roberto Sanchez and his wife visited some of the San Miguel firefighters who responded to the scene more than 2 weeks ago, delivering bagels and coffee.
"Just an overwhelming sense of gratitude for them, being with my mom in her last moments, trying hard to save her life,” Sanchez said.
I first spoke with Sanchez a few days after the crash.
"Just feels like a flood of sadness and confusion," Sanchez said on that day.
Sanchez, who has lived in the area for a decade, says the dangers of La Cresta Road are well known.
"At times it resembles a racetrack," Sanchez said. “There is a speeding. Not much a shoulder.”
The road has seen at least 5 deaths in the past decade. Hazards include blind curves and long stretches without a shoulder.
This week, the Crest Dehesa Granite Hills Harbison Canyon Planning Group announced it is seeking public input on safety along La Cresta Road. On its website, the group posted a list of possible improvements, including flexible lane dividers, additional signage, more pull-outs, and rumble striping that vibrates when a car drives over it.
"If it's vibrating, it would at least give a sense of alertness to people, 'I'm going out of my lane,'" Sanchez said.
While the planning group cannot initiate action on its own, it can make recommendations to county officials.
The public is invited to share input at a planning group meeting on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Crest Community Association Clubhouse, 113 N. Park Drive in Crest.
Sanchez plans to be there.
"I would just hate for this to happen to anybody else," Sanchez said.
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