MENIFEE, CA — More than $70,000 has been raised following an out-of-state tragedy that struck a Menifee family. It is the second such incident this month.
Shortly after 11 am. July 14, the Culver family was in the small town of Cokeville, Wyoming, as part of an idyllic summer road trip to Yellowstone National Park.
The family of four was in a minivan when they encountered a closed portion of Highway 30. Like some other motorists that day, they attempted to skirt the shutdown by rerouting to a Union Pacific access road.
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“Several individuals decided to bypass a temporary road closure and detour on the railroad right-of-way,” Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Captain Brian Andrews told a local news outlet. “During the course of one vehicle’s detour, their vehicle was struck by a north-moving train while attempting to cross the tracks from the west side to the east.”
It was the Culver family.
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Aulaiwon Culver, 47, and her daughter, Lily Culver, 12, were pronounced dead at the scene. Eric Culver, 50, and son Logan Culver, 15, were both taken to the Cokeville Airport where they were life-flighted to Utah, one to Ogden and the other to Salt Lake City, according to the news outlet.
Eric’s condition deteriorated and the Culver’s extended family was facing a difficult decision.
A GoFundMe page was established to help pay for funerals, medical bills and provide benefits for Logan, who is facing a long recovery road. As of noon Tuesday, the page had raised nearly $75,000.
The page shows the family was well-loved, with many in the community grieving.
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Sadly, just two days earlier, another tragedy struck a Menifee family during a summer road trip. Three young girls and their mother, along with two friends, were killed in a July 12 vehicle crash on Interstate 10 while returning to Riverside County.
The sisters were identified as Olivia Grace Perez, 12, Emalynn Marie Perez, 11, and Giana Rose Perez, 8. Their mother, Karly, along with longtime friend Heather Ventura and her young son Lucas Tejada, were also in the vehicle and died in the crash, according to media reports.
The Perez family were identified as Menifee residents, though the girls had attended school in the Beaumont Unified School District.
According to reports, the fatal crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. July 12 on I-10 in Quartzsite, Ariz., near Ramsey Mine Road. The Perezs, Ventura and her son died after their vehicle was rear-ended by a utility truck carrying an asphalt load. The group was returning home following a road trip to Texas.
“Our family is shattered by this heartbreaking event, and we are struggling to cope with the emotional and financial aftermath,” according to a GoFundMe post penned by a man who identified as Karly’s brother.
As of Tuesday at noon, the site had raised more than $11,000.
Another GoFundMe post established by a man identifying as a co-worker and friend of the girls’ father wrote, “To all – let’s all come together and help our fellow friend/coworker Vicente going thru an extremely difficult time, his 3 beautiful daughters and ex wife have sadly passed away in a tragic accident … . Please keep our friend, his family and all affected in your thoughts and prayers.”
The site had raised more than $34,000 as of Tuesday.
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