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ST. GEORGE — Three Southern Utah teens remained in the hospital after police said the car they were in was hit by a drunk driver in Anaheim, California late Friday night.
The 18-year-old driver of the car, Logan Nielsen, spoke with KSL’s Dan Rascon.
“Next thing I remember after that, I was on the side of the road with my car destroyed,” he said.
The teen was driving his car with four friends inside. All had their seat belts on. When they crossed an intersection, that’s when police said a car hit them and sent them into a utility pole.
Nielsen said he doesn’t remember anything — just waking up surrounded by emergency crews.
“The front of my car was completely destroyed. There were a bunch of cops and ambulances. One of my friends was laying behind the car. One of them was passed out still in my car, and another one was having a hard time sitting up on a curb,” said Nielsen.
It was supposed to be a fun Southern California trip — eleven graduated students from Pine View High School and two others enjoying the summer days before starting college life.
Two of the most severely injured were 18-year-olds Cristina Gaona, who was still in critical condition at a hospital in California, and Shad Diaz, who suffered multiple fractures.
“Because of the impact, his whole diaphragm got shifted upwards (and) broke his ribs. (He) got a damaged kidney and liver,” said Yulma Diaz, Shad’s aunt. “It’s unbelievable. A lot of anger, frustration – these kids were innocently going on a trip and someone made a bad decision and ruined many, many lives.”
Related:
5 Utah teens seriously injured when struck by suspected drunk driver in Anaheim, California
A crash in Southern California involving a suspected drunk driver injured five Utah teens late Friday night, including a recent graduate of Pine View High School who is in critical condition with severe brain injuries.Adrian Shelton, also age 18, was part of the group. He wasn’t in Nielsen’s car.
“It’s been hard on everyone here,” said Shelton. “It didn’t just change the people that were in the accident, but tons of other families and friends.”
Officials from the Anaheim Police Department identified the driver of the car as Leobardo Robledo, from Anaheim. They believed Robledo to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
He remained in the hospital as a result of the collision.
News of the crash spread quickly to family and friends in St. George.
“It’s so sad that all of this over a drunk driver. Someone who was not being responsible ruined five kids lives, plus all of their family that was affected,” said Melodie Hardy, a friend of the Gaona family. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Misty LeFevre’s son was also on the trip, but he was not in the car.
“It was really scary to get a phone call at 4 o’clock in the morning, and then to have to call a lot of hospitals to eliminate whether your son was in the car or not. It was very scary,” said LeFevre.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for Gaona and Diaz, to help with medical expenses and travel expenses for the family.
You can find those by clicking on the links below:
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
