Blanca Guerrero: Woman, 76, dies in fatal collision with school bus while crossing street
LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA: A 76-year-old grandmother was killed instantly after being hit by a school bus while crossing the street in east Los Angeles County this week. Blanca Arcelia Guerrero, 76, was hit by a Hacienda La Puente Unified School District bus Monday afternoon near the junction of Hacienda Boulevard and Fairgrove Avenue.
"The impact was so intense, it fractured her elderly body," Yvonne Torres, one of Guerrero’s six daughters, told FOX 11. "It caused her to fall to the ground, which broke her skull and she died instantly," Torres added.
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She looked as beautiful as we can remember her
"Our last memory with our mother is seeing her poor lifeless body in the mortuary, but she looked as beautiful as we can remember her", said Torres. The medical examiner as per reports determined that her death was caused by blunt force trauma.
Despite the horrific nature of the incident, no arrests have been made in the case. However, the California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The incident occurred around 2:20 pm, although it is unknown whether any children or other passengers were onboard at the time. Torres stated that her mother strolled around her neighborhood every day.
'She just had a couple of steps'
"She almost made it to the end of the crosswalk," Torres stated before adding "She just had a couple of steps. Why couldn't they just wait? That second could have given us more years that we needed with her. To her, unknowingly, it was her last walk she would ever walk." The family claims they were not notified of Guerrero's death until more than five hours after the incident, and they are offering a reward for information leading to her death.
'They could have stopped for her'
Guerrero had six children. Her daughters, Yvonne Torres, Hazel Guerrero, and Sandy Medrano, said the family is devastated by her death. "The person that was driving, to me, was negligent because they could have stopped. They could have stopped for her," said Torres.
"These intersections are not safe," Torres told the media outlet "There's been more accidents. It could have been someone's child, and there's a lot of elderly that live here. If my mom's life was taken away, maybe it'll be for a reason to put streetlights or save another person's life. We don't want this to go unnoticed. We don't want nothing to happen out of losing our mother's life."
The school district in a statement said, "The news of this tragic accident is heartbreaking...The district is working closely with local law enforcement during their investigation. We have no further information at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this incident."