WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Between Sacramento Avenue and the train tracks that cross Jefferson Boulevard, Jerry Delgado was on a hunt for answers Saturday.
"How does something like this ever happen," Delgado questioned. "Is there negligence?"
Standing in the same place where a West Sacramento Fire engine ran over his mom, Katie, and a man in their sleep, Delgado tried to fight the natural anger and frustration.
Around 11 a.m. Friday, West Sacramento Fire says a fire engine ran over a carpet that the two were sleeping inside while driving on a dirt path to get to a brush fire. Fire officials say a spotter was in front of the engine checking the path.
"I got a call at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon that my mother was in the hospital," said Delgado. "I had to give consent for an operation."
The friend's family, however, received a much different call. Authorities say he was killed in the crash.
"I used to work with him at the recycle center," said the man's friend Juan Jose Noseqlia, describing him as kind and giving. "I know he wanted a change in lifestyle."
Now the man, who has yet to be identified, will never get that chance to change. Meanwhile, Katie's family is hoping that out of tragedy, following nearly two decades of homelessness will come triumph.
"Thankfully, she pulled through, and we still have her. Everybody's there, waiting for her to wake up, and we're ready to move forward with this," said Delgado. "She's been really respected and loved by everybody out here. She is a human being, and there should be somebody taking accountability."
The California Highway Patrol is now investigating the crash. The West Sacramento Fire Department says that the personnel involved were placed on paid administrative leave.
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