Mom of 4 Killed in Fiery Crash After Another Driver Hits Her Car at Red Light

A mom of four was killed after she was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in California. 

On Jan 14, Laura Teniz, 57, was driving to work at a Denny’s restaurant when she was fatally struck by a car at a red light in San Bernardino, according to KTLA, KABC and CBS News.

The San Bernardino Police Department said that around 7:15 a.m. local time employees of an ARCO gas station reported that a man had been driving erratically in his Volvo before appearing to slump over his steering wheel, per CBS News.

Upon responding near Mountain View and Highland avenues, officers noticed the vehicle driving at approximately 80 miles per hour going the opposite way. 

Officers quickly turned around to follow the Volvo, after which it allegedly slammed into a Toyota sedan that was stopped at a red light, causing both vehicles to burst into flames and crash into two additional cars. 

“Crews arrived to find three vehicles, all with active fire and occupants trapped,” the San Bernardino County Fire Department wrote on X. “Firefighters worked to extinguish flames, extricate victims, and treat the injured.”

Two people were pronounced dead, including the mother of four who was driving the Toyota and the unidentified driver of the Volvo, according to multiple outlets. A third person was hospitalized with minor injuries, and a fourth remained uninjured. 

“It just blew up into a ball of fire,” Leeartis Hayes, a witness of the crash, told CBS News. “Just a big ball of fire and nobody could get into the car to get anybody out.”

Patricia Recinos, Teniz’s sister, expressed her heartbreak to KTLA and emphasized that Teniz “didn’t have a chance” to survive the crash.

”The car blew up instantly into flames,” she said. “I don’t understand. She was just a hard-working woman who was trying to get to work.”

Recinos also said that her late sister was the “biggest supporter” of her four kids and “always made sure they had everything.”

“It’s the most painful grieving,” she continued. “And the way it happened to her, it’s even worse.”

Recinos also created a GoFundMe to help cover her “hardworking and compassionate” sister’s funeral and burial expenses. It has raised more than $10,000, so far.

“This tragedy happened in San Bernardino, just minutes from her workplace, and it was caused by a reckless driver whose actions have forever changed our lives,” she wrote alongside the fundraiser. “Now, Laura’s children face the overwhelming responsibility of planning her funeral and burial.”

“She was their rock, their biggest supporter, and the heart of our family,” she added of her sister.  “Laura worked tirelessly to provide for them and always put their needs before her own.”