Photo: Stock Image
Written By: Robert L. McCullough
November 15, 2022 – Santa Barbara County, Ca. All vehicle accidents involving injury or death are terrible, but the November 6th collision that took place when 31-year-old Santa Maria resident Hector Escobar Romero ran a red light has been described as “horrific” by the father of the two children killed in the crash.
It was just after 8:00 p.m. on November 6th when Romero—later found to have been intoxicated while driving—failed to yield at an intersection red light. According to Santa Maria Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Van Meel, the ensuing crash ejected 2-year-old Yoselyn Gonzalez and her brother 10-year-old Alejandro Gonzales from the vehicle in which they were riding. They were pronounced deceased at the scene, with “another child and their parents suffered major injuries.”
Romero—with a prior conviction for driving under the influence–was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail. He was brought before a Santa Barbara County Superior Court magistrate just days later, where he was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving under the influence causing injuries. He faces a special allegation of causing paralysis to one of his victims, and remains in custody with his bail set at $2,000,000.
