Daughter of innocent father killed during Anaheim crash recalls learning the news: "It was not his time"

The daughter of an innocent Southern California man who was killed during a crash in Anaheim on Tuesday recalls learning the devastating news that her father had died.

Arlene Viveros said she was the last one of her 11 siblings who spoke to her father minutes before he was killed in a multi-vehicle crash near Lincoln Avenue and Anaheim Boulevard.

Viveros said her 70-year-old father, Alberto Viveros Piedra, was on his way home from work. She had spoken to him on the phone before he left and about 15 minutes later, the crash occurred.

"I still expect him to come home," Arlene Viveros said. "It was not his time."

On Tuesday morning, around 12:45 a.m., officers from the Anaheim Police Department noticed a silver Infiniti sedan driving at a high rate of speed near Cypress Street and Harbor Boulevard. When officers attempted to catch up, the driver, identified as a 19-year-old, allegedly accelerated away from police.

Officers did not initiate a pursuit, but a short time later, patrol units found a crash near Lincoln Avenue and Anaheim Boulevard. Four vehicles were involved in the crash, including the silver Infiniti and a red Camry that belonged to Alberto Viveros.

Alberto Piedra and 14-year-old Anaheim High School student, Andrew Joseph Sanchez, were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said that Sanchez was the front-seat passenger in the Infiniti, and that two female Katella High School students were riding in the backseat.

Arlene Viveros said when she didn't hear from her father later that morning, she began to worry. She went to his house but didn't find him, so she decided to retrace his route to and from work. On her way back, she noticed the crash but did not see her father's red Camry and assumed he was not involved.

It wasn't until she saw the news that she saw reports that a 70-year-old man had died in the crash and Arlene Viveros said she knew it was her father. 

"The 70-year-old man is my dad. The unidentified person is my dad," Arlene Viveros said.

Police believe the silver Infiniti was struck by a blue sedan as it sped through the intersection, which caused it to then collide with Alberto Viveros' car.

When asked how she feels about the 19-year-old driver, Arlene Viveros said she wants justice but knows her father would want her to forgive them.

"I want to be mad, but I also know my dad is a very forgiving person and I feel like he'd be the first person to forgive that kid," Arlene Viveros said. 

Anaheim police are continuing to investigate the crash. The 19-year-old driver remains hospitalized and no charges have been filed against them.