A 13-month-old girl was killed and her father was severely injured after a drunk driver struck them with his car in a California cemetery.
Joshua Mazur, 30, took his daughter Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz to visit his grandmother’s gravesite at a Sacramento cemetery on Sunday afternoon.
Janessa’s mother, Jackline Patino Diaz, told KCRA 3 that an intoxicated driver struck them out of nowhere.
‘She’s not here with us anymore. It’s so crazy to think that we were just sitting at the cemetery, and he just came and ran over her, and now she’s gone. She’s not here with us,’ she said.
Diaz said that Mazur suffered serious injuries from the accident and was recovering in the hospital.
Mazur had broken ribs, a fractured nose and a fractured skull, the outlet reported.
Sacramento County police identified the suspect as Miguel Landeros Guzman and arrested him on Monday.
The 50-year-old man was charged with felony gross vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, DUI causing injury, hit-and-run and child endangerment.
Joshua Mazur, 30, and his 13-month-old daughter Janessa Milagro Mazur Diaz were struck by a car on Sunday (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/GoFundMe)
The family was visiting Mazur’s grandmother’s gravesite at a Sacramento cemetery that day (Photo credit: Joshua Mazur/Facebook)
Sacramento County police identified the suspect as Miguel Landeros Guzman and arrested him on Monday. Janessa’s mother (pictured above) said the family recently celebrated her first birthday last week (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
The prosecutors alleged that Guzman was driving at a dangerous speed and lost control of his vehicle.
The suspect made his first appearance in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea that day, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The judge set the date for his bail review hearing for Friday morning.
Guzman remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail. His bail is set for $450,000, according to jail records reviewed by the outlet.
The suspect also had a previous conviction for drunk driving in April 2009.
He injured another person in Sacramento County during this accident, according to the complaint.
Guzman remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail with the his next court hearing set for Friday (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
Janessa’s mother (pictured above) set up a fundraising page for her husband’s medical expenses. Mazur had broken ribs, a fractured nose and a fractured skull after the accident (Photo credit: Jackie Patino Diaz/Facebook)
Janessa’s mother said the family recently celebrated her first birthday last week.
The mother recalled the devastating moment when she had to tell Mazur that their daughter had passed away.
‘The first thing he asked me when I walked in the room was, “Where’s my baby?” and I had to tell him she was gone,’ Diaz told KCRA 3.
She set up a fundraising page to get help with her husband’s medical expenses.
‘As we mourn the loss of our precious little girl, her father is currently fighting for his recovery in the ICU after sustaining injuries in this horrific accident,’ she wrote.
‘Our family is facing an unimaginable amount of emotional pain, uncertainty, and financial hardship.’
‘We are heartbroken beyond words. No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing their child. Our sweet Janessa was taken from us far too soon, and we would give anything to have her back in our arms,’ she added.
Diaz has raised $31,755 from donations so far.
