A teenager accused of killing three members of the same family in a traffic collision in Oceanside listened as the youngest victim recalled her mother's final words to her Tuesday.
Mason Fish, 19, was behind the wheel of a truck traveling on Coast Highway on Feb. 5 when he collided with a Mazda sedan.
Surveillance video captured the Mazda enter the intersection and then, seconds later, Fish's truck slammed into the driver's side of the Mazda.
Kelly, 13, was inside the vehicle with her parents, her grandparents and her aunt. She had just been picked up from school moments earlier.
She doesn't remember the moment of impact or being ejected from the vehicle.
“I just remember my mom saying, ‘You’re going to be okay,’” she said. “Then, I just blanked out from there.”
Her mother, Petra Arango, 40, of Oceanside was killed in the collision along with her grandmother, Rufina Arango Rodriguez, 74, of Fallbrook and her aunt, Eloina Arango, 56, of Mexico.
Kelly's father and grandfather survived the crash.
A witness to the crash told NBC 7 Fish didn't hit his brakes before the collision, and said he seemed disconnected and unconcerned for the victims.
Prosecutors said Fish had 1.6 grams of cocaine in his wallet at the time of the crash, but his defense attorney, Mark Frederick, said toxicology reports will confirm that Fish was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.
Fish admitted to using cocaine in the past, according to prosecutors.
Frederick said Fish was dealing with a family tragedy the morning of the crash, having just found out that his grandmother passed away. Frederick said his client going to stop by the beach before heading off to class at a local community college.
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The Oceanside Unified School District confirmed 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.
Fish is accused of gross vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and possession of a controlled narcotic substance. An judge bound him over for trial on all counts Tuesday.
If convicted on all counts, Fish could face up to 13 years in prison.
