A 13-month-old girl died and her father suffered serious injuries after an allegedly intoxicated driver crashed into them at a California cemetery.
Joshua Mazur, 30, had taken his daughter, Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz, to visit her great-grandmother’s gravesite at a Sacramento cemetery on Sunday afternoon.
Janessa’s mother, Jackline Patino Diaz, told KCRA 3 that the driver appeared without warning and struck the father and daughter.
“She’s not here with us anymore. It’s so crazy to think that we were just sitting at the cemetery, and he just came and ran over her, and now she’s gone. She’s not here with us,” Diaz said.
Diaz said Mazur was hospitalized with severe injuries and remained on the road to recovery.
According to the outlet, he suffered broken ribs, a fractured nose and a fractured skull.
Sacramento County authorities identified the driver as Miguel Landeros Guzman, who was arrested on Monday.
The 50-year-old faces charges of felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury, hit-and-run and child endangerment.
Joshua Mazur, 30, and his 13-month-old daughter Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz were hit by a vehicle on Sunday (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/GoFundMe)
The father and daughter had gone to a Sacramento cemetery to visit Mazur’s grandmother’s gravesite (Photo credit: Joshua Mazur/Facebook)
Miguel Landeros Guzman was arrested Monday after the fatal crash. Janessa’s mother, pictured above, said the family had celebrated the child’s first birthday the previous week (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
Prosecutors allege Guzman was traveling at an unsafe speed before losing control of the vehicle.
Guzman appeared for the first time in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday but did not enter a plea, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The judge scheduled a bail review hearing for Friday morning.
FIND OUT MORE: I found $135,000 sack of money next to an ATM – I didn’t get to keep it but I did get a bizarre offer instead – NewsFinale
Guzman remains held at the Sacramento County Main Jail. Jail records reviewed by the outlet show his bail has been set at $450,000.
He also had a prior drunk-driving conviction dating to April 2009.
The criminal complaint states that another person was injured in the crash in Sacramento County.
Guzman is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail, with his next court appearance scheduled for Friday (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
Janessa’s mother, pictured above, launched a fundraiser to help cover her husband’s medical costs. Mazur sustained broken ribs, a fractured nose and a fractured skull in the collision (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
Diaz said the family had marked Janessa’s first birthday just one week before the fatal incident.
She also described the painful moment when she had to tell Mazur that their daughter had died.
“The first thing he asked me when I walked in the room was, ‘Where’s my baby?’ and I had to tell him she was gone,” Diaz told KCRA 3.
She created a fundraising page seeking financial support for her husband’s treatment and recovery.
“As we mourn the loss of our precious little girl, her father is currently fighting for his recovery in the ICU after sustaining injuries in this horrific accident,” she wrote.
“Our family is facing an unimaginable amount of emotional pain, uncertainty, and financial hardship.”
“We are heartbroken beyond words. No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing their child. Our sweet Janessa was taken from us far too soon, and we would give anything to have her back in our arms,” she added.
The fundraiser has collected $31,755 in donations so far.