Lopez

A semi-truck full of apples decided to make a U-turn on highway 97, a horrible idea at any time of day but worse at 5:30 AM in December when the darkness still has hours ahead of it. The truck stalled and blocked the entire road, at least until a pickup with Antonio Villa Lopez, Arturo Lopez Marin, and Candelario Gonzalez-Lopez collided with the semi.

Antonio and Arturo were killed immediately, they were twenty four and thirty eight.

Candelario Gonzalez-Lopez was flown to the hospital in critical condition, but the presence of a third, unnamed and unpainted cross at the site leads me to suspect that they did not survive the accident.

When we went by the descansos during our drive down deadly highway 97 my wife saw the crosses and the splash of red on the first two. She thought the red was blood; turns out it was reflective tape.

Of course there is a stuffed animal at the site, this one tattered and left on the ground, partially embedded in the snow and ice.

Rest in peace, Antonio, Arturo, and Candelario.