San Diego

Grandmother, 2 Daughters Killed in Oceanside Crash

A grandmother and her two daughters were killed Tuesday in a crash at an Oceanside intersection that also injured three more of their family members, the Oceanside Police Department confirmed.

The crash happened just before 1 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Oceanside Boulevard and Coast Highway.

Rufina Arango Rodriguez, 74, of Fallbrook, 56-year-old Eloina Arango of Mexico, and Petra Arango, 40, of Oceanside, were driving through the intersection eastbound on Oceanside Boulevard when their Mazda sedan was broadsided by a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, according to police.

The collision sent the Mazda into a spin and two of the six passengers in the car, including a 13-year-old girl, were ejected.

NBC 7's Dave Summers has the latest information in the crash investigation, including the charges one of the drivers is facing.

The remaining three passengers in the Mazda, the teen, an 82-year-old man from Fallbrook and a 43-year-old from Oceanside, are all expected to recover from their injuries, OPD said.

According to police, the teenager is the granddaughter of Rodriguez, and the daughter of one of the deceased victims.

A small vigil with candles and balloons was growing on the street corner near the crash.

Oceanside Fatal Crash Memorial

The driver of the truck, 19-year-old Mason Fish, was arrested at the scene and charged with seven felonies, including gross vehicular manslaughter (3), driving under the influence causing bodily injury (3), and possession of a controlled narcotic substance, according to authorities.

Fish was not injured in the crash.

A witness to the crash told NBC 7 Fish didn't hit his breaks before the collision, and said he seemed unconcerned for the people in the other car.

"A normal human being would go and try to help, try to do something, correct the situation, maybe," Alfonso Nava said. 

Fish is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

The Oceanside Unified School District confirmed Wednesday that Fish graduated from El Camino High School in 2017.

A former classmate told NBC 7 Fish "was one of the more popular kids" in school.

Mason Fish 1

The incident happened during the lunch-hour rush at a busy Oceanside intersection.

Surveillance video from a gas station across the intersection shows the Mazda follow another truck into the intersection. Seconds later, the Toyota headed southbound on Coast Highway slammed into the Mazda's driver's side.

OPD investigators said Fish failed to stop at a red light.

Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene and the third was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Three people have been killed and more injured in an Oceanside car crash. NBC 7's Dave Summers has more on the incident caught on camera.

A total of three ambulances and two air ambulances were called to transport victims to the hospital, the Oceanside Fire Department said. The air ambulances landed on Coast Highway just south of the crash site.

The manager at the gas station convenience store also witnessed the crash.

“I was here when I heard the crash. I turned my head across the street and saw two people in the air already,” Edwin Trinidad said.

An online fundraising page has been set up for Petra Arango and Family. 

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