Three Camp Pendleton Marines describe coming upon a deadly rollover wreck that claimed the life of a pregnant woman.
The Marines were heading north on Interstate 5 early Sunday morning when they came across a two vehicle crash.
"We were just chatting in the car, and we looked ahead of us and saw the aftermath of the collision," Cpl Solomon Huss said. "We saw sparks, a dust cloud of debris flying back toward us."
Huss and two fellow Marines, Thomas Harley and Sean Wax, stopped to help the victims. They first ran toward a Nissan Altima with two men inside.
"It was on fire -- the engine compartment -- basically, we pulled the folks out of that car," Huss said.
The men then headed to a Ford Explorer which was on its side, with five members of one family inside it.
"The father was standing up screaming, 'My wife, my wife, she's pregnant,' "said Harley, a lance corporal.
The woman, 24-year-old Yine Angeles, was 6-months pregnant and trapped underneath the explorer.
The three Marines, along with another Marine who had also stopped to help, pushed the vehicle back on its wheels.
"You're adrenaline is kicking, you don't think about anything but helping whoever you need to help or what you need to do," said Wax, who is also a lance corporal.
Sadly, the woman and her unborn baby girl didn't survive. To make matters worse, during the rescue, someone stole the victim's purse, which was lying on the roadway.
"In the middle of all those people who are trying to do some good, there's that one person, whether out of ignorance or malice, decided to take the purse," Huss said.
"I'm sure she had a lot of stuff in there that her family would like to have, so hopefully whoever did take that purse is watching and does turn that purse in," Wax said.
John Sudac Jr., 27, turned himself in to the California Highway Patrol on Sunday night after seeing his name and picture on the news, investigators aid. Sudac submitted to a blood test and was taken to the Vista detention center. He posted a $200,000 bail Tuesday and was ordered to return to court Jan. 16 to face several charges which could include felony manslaughter, felony DUI, felony hit and run or possession of marijuana.
California Highway Patrol investigators said witnesses saw a woman get out of a dark-colored station wagon and grab the purse before getting back into the car and leaving. The CHP is still looking for the purse snatcher, as well as a passenger in the Altima who left the scene after the accident.
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