A father was on his way to meet his newborn son when he and a friend, also a father, died in a violent traffic accident in south Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County coroner identified the two men, Sergio Hill, 32, and Alvaro Castillo Jr., 35, as having died that same day on a public road due to blunt impact injuries. Relatives identified the two men through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe as Sergio and Tito Castillo. The accident also left Castillo’s daughter in critical condition.
The fatal accident occurred on Friday at 10:44 a.m. in the 3300 block of West 78th Street, in the Hyde Park neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police sources indicated that at least three vehicles were involved in the accident, including a Chevy truck, a Toyota Camry and a black BMW SUV.
According to police, the Toyota Camry was attempting to turn left from West 78th Street onto Crenshaw Boulevard when it was sideswiped by the driver of the black BMW.
The department did not provide further details about the incident.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that firefighters and paramedics responded to a call for a traffic accident with physical rescue in which several vehicles and four patients were involved.
Fire department paramedics pronounced two people dead at the scene, and a third was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. A fourth person was treated at the scene, but his condition is unknown, according to those in charge of the fire department. The department did not provide the ages of the victims.
Ken Smith, owner of a convenience store in the area, told KTLA News that the driver of the black BMW SUV was racing a Tesla before the fatal accident occurred.
Smith provided footage from his surveillance cameras that appeared to show the two vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed north on Crenshaw Boulevard before the collision.
“I heard a zoom as I passed and I could see them through my window,” Smith told the network. “And then you hear the “Boom!” and I said, “Someone has died,” because it was a very loud noise and they were going at a lot of speed.”
According to the family, Sergio was heading to the airport to meet his newborn baby for the first time before the accident occurred.
“In an instant, a wonderful life was gone too soon,” the GoFundMe page reads. “The accident also claimed the life of Tito, a dear friend of Sergio, and left Tito’s young daughter in critical condition.”
The family described him as a kind and humble man who worked hard and never hesitated to help others.
“No matter how long the day was or how difficult the work became, Sergio came with a positive attitude and a heart full of generosity,” his family wrote. “He was someone you could always count on and made everyone feel like family.”
On another GoFundMe page, Castillo’s family said they were devastated by his death.
“He leaves behind two young daughters, one of whom is currently in critical condition,” the family wrote. “He was funny, stubborn in the best sense of the word, full of love and always willing to help anyone who needed it.”
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