4 weeks ago
10
COARSEGOLD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Three siblings are present mourning aft the California Highway Patrol said their parents were killed successful a clang caused by a drunk driver.
Their children are naming the victims of Tuesday's Coarsegold country clang connected Highway 41 arsenic Kirk and Valerie McCarty. They were successful their 70s and had been joined for implicit 50 years.
They're present hoping the operator who CHP arrested, 42-year-old Felipe Ramirez, is held accountable and charged with murder.
"When you marque the prime to portion and thrust and you termination people, you are a murderer," Carrie Hardesty, 1 of the siblings, said.
She and her sister, Kelly McCoy, and member Jeff Gricewich gathered astatine the Madera County Sheriff's Office connected Thursday. The symptom from Tuesday's clang is inactive fresh.
Hardesty says there's nary mode to picture conscionable however overmuch their parents volition beryllium missed.
"Insurmountable. There's nary scale," she said.
She conscionable spoke with her parents connected Monday. The couple just got location from a abrogation to Hawaii and the household was engaged readying Father's Day celebrations.
The siblings accidental their dada served 2 tours successful Vietnam and yet went connected to enactment for Caltrans. They said their parent was incredibly smart, had a master's grade and worked for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation earlier she retired.
They said Valerie had conscionable gotten a caller hep and Kirk had conscionable gotten caller knee. They said this was conscionable much impervious they were afloat of beingness contempt their ages, and were hopeful and preparing for plentifulness much years up of them. The mates was blessed with 9 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.
But each that changed Tuesday, erstwhile officers accidental 42-year-old Felipe Ramirez was driving nether the power and driving astir 100 miles per hr connected Highway 41 adjacent Coarsegold. The enactment motortruck helium had been driving deed the McCartys' caput on, aft a young operator swerved retired of the way.
The siblings accidental they cognize their parents would beryllium thankful that the young operator is okay, and that they were hit, alternatively of her.
McCoy is present asking the Madera County District Attorney's Office for nary mercy successful the case.
"I conscionable anticipation that he spends the remainder of his beingness successful prison, and I anticipation that he's charged to the fullest grade of the law," McCoy said.
Gricewich says there's nary excuse for DUI and helium hopes Ramirez knows the clang was preventable.
"I mean, you tin Uber, you tin telephone a Lyft, you tin telephone a friend. I mean, there's portion astatine home, man," helium said.
But contempt the tragedy, Hardesty said she is thankful her parents didn't endure alone, and that they had each other.
"I'm thankful they went together. I'm thankful they went rapidly due to the fact that to heal from the injuries that they would person sustained had they lived would person been torture. And past if 1 of them had lived and 1 hadn't, that would person been torture," she said.
The siblings besides accidental they anticipation this serves arsenic a reminder to springiness humor and donate to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
