‘Everything's Different': 2 Killed in Separate I-15 Crashes During Storm ID'd: CHP

Both victims were killed when the cars they were in lost control during heavy rains

The two people who were killed while driving on Interstate 15 during Friday night’s rain storm have been identified by the medical examiner, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Mabel Bahena, 19, was in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Jetta Friday night when the driver lost control and slammed into a truck parked on the shoulder of northbound I-15 just south of University Avenue.

Gustavo Bahena, Mabel's father, tells NBC 7 he hasn’t slept or eaten since police came to his door to tell him of his daughter’s death. He says the pain is something he won’t be able to overcome.

“Yo quiero irme con ella”, he repeats over and over. He wants to see his daughter one more time.

Bahena’s father was watching the news Friday night, and when he saw there was a crash by their house he knew it had to be her.

“I just got home over here, and everybody with their head down, I was expecting the worst,” Bahena’s brother says. “I still didn't believe it until we got the knock at the door from the officer. He walked in with her bag.

“I was just in shock, I still didn't believe,” her brother says. “He told us that, yeah, unfortunately … she didn’t make it in the crash.” He says he was in shock and just looked at the ceiling trying to “zone it all out.”

"She was my little sister … She was everybody's friend,” he adds. “Everything is different now.”

Bahena was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was taken to the hospital, and the owner of the truck suffered minor injuries. 

Rogelio Colchero, 68, was killed in another crash on southbound I-15 when a car lost control crashing into his car. His vehicle was then struck a second time by a minivan.

Colchero, who was a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene just south of Mira Mesa Blvd. The extent of the other victims’ injuries is unclear.

Both crashes happened between 5 and 6 p.m. at the height of the storm. 

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