Victims' families of brutal Norwalk 605 Freeway crash that killed 4 file legal claim against CHP
About five weeks after four lives tragically ended in a grisly crash on the 605 Freeway in Norwalk, families are demanding answers from law enforcement about what actually happened that night.
During a news conference on Tuesday, the families of two of the victims, joined by their attorneys, announced the filing of a legal claim and questioned the CHP's role in the crash and whether it could have been avoided if officers followed proper protocols.
The CHP says that around 12:50 a.m. on Sunday, July 20, the driver of a Nissan sedan and a CHP officer were involved in a crash near the Firestone Boulevard onramp on the southbound 605. The Nissan was disabled on the roadway as a result of the crash, the CHP claims.
While waiting for more officers to arrive, a driver behind the wheel of a Kia collided with the back of the Nissan, making the Nissan erupt in flames on impact. All four individuals inside of the Nissan were pronounced dead at the scene. They were later identified as Julie Harmori, Armand Del Campo, Jordan Partridge and Sam Skocilic.
The driver of the Kia, identified as Iris Salmeron, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
On Tuesday, Del Campo's mother, Angie Reed, and Harmoni's aunt, Kathy Stickel, said the 23 and 24-year-olds were a couple that were seriously considering moving in together and had discussed engagement. They were headed home from a concert with their friends when the crashes occurred.
"[They] were really excited about their future that will never be now," Reed said. She added that Del Campo was just one week into a new job that he was excited about.
The families, joined by attorney Thomas Feher, took issue with the protocol used by the unidentified CHP officer who was involved in the crash with the group of friends. They claim there was about seven minutes in between the two crashes, and after the Nissan was disabled in the fast lane of the 605, their vehicle was left stranded in the roadway without lit flares or traffic cones to warn drivers that a hazard was approaching.
The fact that the driver who ultimately hit the disabled car was allegedly drunk is irrelevant to the factors of the crash, Stickel said.
"I could've hit kids [who were left in the roadway] like that," she said. "Any of us could've hit those kids."
Feher called the victims "sitting ducks."
"From our perspective, this wasn't just an accident," he said. "This was a series of failures from the CHP."
Reed and Stickle described the stomach-churning moments of July 20 when they realized what had occurred. Reed said she received a text message from Del Campo at 12:56 a.m., where he told his mother that they'd been in a crash but everyone was fine.
That text message was sent six minutes after the time that the CHP told Reed that her son was pronounced dead, which was 12:50 a.m., she says.
The families say that the inconsistency conflicts with the CHP's initial claim that the two crashes were nearly simultaneous and that there was no way that the four victims could have escaped with their lives. Now, the families claim that the CHP hasn't given them access to Harmori's car or any camera footage of the incident.
It's not clear how the CHP officer collided with the Nissan in the first place, or who was at fault.
"I need to know what happened and I need to know now," Reed said. "These kids deserve it."
In a statement, the CHP told CBS News Los Angeles, "This was a heartbreaking tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families impacted by this incident. Both crashes remain under investigation; we are unable to provide further comment at this time."
