A 27-year-old mother and her baby who were killed in a crash in Borrego Springs Thursday have been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
Erendyra Fierro, 27, was driving a 2013 VW CC southbound on Borrego Springs Road south of San Pablo Road just before 4 p.m. Fierro's son, Javier Salazar, was just six days shy of two months old and strapped into his car seat in the back. Another 51-year-old passenger was sitting in the front.
CHP Officer Kevin Pearlstein said Fierro pulled onto the right shoulder and came to a stop. At the same time, a 60-year-old man was driving a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup southbound on Borrego Springs Road.
Just then, Fierro attempted a U-turn in her VW but did not see the Dodge approaching from behind.
CHP officials said the mother pulled directly into the path of the Dodge, and that driver had little time to react. He hit the brakes, but wasn’t able to stop before the front of the Dodge struck the left side of the VW.
The impact of the crash critically injured Fierro and she died at the scene. Salazar, her son, was badly injured as well and was airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital. However, he died at the hospital less than two hours later, CHP officials confirmed.
The passenger in the VW suffered moderate injuries, while the driver of the Dodge sustained minor injuries. No other cars were involved in the fatal accident.
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The crash is under investigation, but CHP officials said alcohol was not a factor. Investigators said the driver of the Dodge was traveling at 55 mph – the legal speed limit on Borrego Springs Road.
The infant was properly seated and strapped in a rear-facing car seat behind the driver’s seat in the VW, officials confirmed.
The mother and baby were residents of Borrego Springs, Pearlstein said, an unincorporated part of San Diego County.
