Community comes to the aid of family involved in fatal Rainbow crash

Jorge Vazquez would have been a freshman at Fallbrook High when school commences on Aug. 13 – until a crash involving his mother and sister took his life on Tuesday, July 23 in Rainbow.

According to friends and family, the young man who attended Vallecitos Elementary School in Rainbow, one day hoped to become a mechanic.

Vazquez was killed when a car he was riding in, driven by his mother, collided with a big rig on Old Highway 395 at Rainbow Glen Road in Rainbow.

His mother and 7-year-old sister were injured in the crash, as was the driver of the truck.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe, the 62-year-old man behind the wheel of a Peterbilt truck tractor pulling two trailers was heading northbound on Old Highway 395, while Vazquez' 34-year-old mother in her Honda Passport SUV was heading eastbound on Rainbow Glen Road with the boy in the passenger seat and her daughter in the back seat on the right side.

As the Honda entered the intersection – with the driver apparently attempting to continue eastbound on Rainbow Glen Road – the vehicle was struck on the right side by the big rig, the officer said.

The collision caused both vehicles to veer toward the right shoulder, where they struck an overhead light and came to a stop.

A fire started on right shoulder and spread to the embankment on the north side of the roadway. A Sheriff's Deputy arrived at the scene shortly after the collision and attempted to help everyone involved in the crash.

As rescue efforts continued, the fire grew in size and began to approach the Honda, until good Samaritans stopped and hooked a chain to the Honda, pulling it out of the path of the fire.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire a short time later after it had burned a 30-by-40-foot patch of roadside vegetation, North County Fire Protection District Capt. Richard Berry said.

Around 90 gallons of fuel leaked from the big rig's fuel tank following the crash and a Hazmat team was called to the scene to clean up the spill, the officer said. About 75 gallons entered a nearby storm drain while the rest was contained on the right shoulder.

Vazquez was pronounced dead at the scene and his sister was airlifted to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego for treatment of moderate injuries, Latulippe said.

Vazquez' mother was taken to Palomar Medical Center with major injuries and the driver of the big rig was also taken to Palomar with minor injuries.

Not long after the crash, a GoFundMe account was created by Elizabeth Navarrete to help the Vazquez family deal with costs associated with the tragedy.

"We were like family and I know many people loved him and his family as much as we did," the post on the GoFundMe page read. "Jorge was a young sweet boy who was only 13 years old when his life was taken away in a tragic car crash and his mother and sister have major injuries and were transported to the nearest hospital.

"Anything will help out the Vazquez family and will be dearly appreciated. We can not leave all the expenses to be dealt with (by) the hurting father."

Within the week, more than 100 donors helped raise $6,171 of the $6,000 goal.

"Thank you guys so, so much for each and one of you who donated," Navarrete commented. "I am beyond speechless that we have met our goal. I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart because without you guys we wouldn't be able to help our friends in need.

"May God bless all of you guys and may Jorge watch us from up above."

According to Latulippe, drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash and the incident remains under investigation.

There was no further information available regarding the condition of the other people involved in the crash.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].