— The Friday night trip began at the end of a week’s vacation, a family
outing to a women’s college soccer game just days before
The trip ended in
Even veteran investigators said it was the worst crash they had ever seen.
On Wednesday,
committee about her family and question whether a floor mat trapping
the gas pedal — as regulators say they believe — is the sole reason for
the accident.
Rarely, if ever, has one family’s fatal crash had
such an impact, forcing the world’s largest automaker to admit
thousands of sudden-acceleration complaints, recall more than 8 million
vehicles worldwide and answer growing questions from
“They were a solid family. They were quiet people, but their presence was always felt,” said
The Saylor family lived in the sprawling
On the evening of
They were in a Lexus on loan from their
They had no way to know their drive would become the epicenter of controversy and questions about
that day, overseeing reviews of school buses and tow trucks. A back
injury had taken him off road patrols years earlier, but he still
carried his ticket book and gun.
Her work involved developing new genetic treatments
for cancer and other diseases. The week before the game, she had taken
a staycation — using vacation time at home to get Mahala ready for her
first year of high school.
“She had this way about her that other believers were drawn to her,” he said.
Mahala was a forward for the Chula Vista Rangers soccer team.
dad — complete with minivan — who stayed for all the games and
practices.
“I always saw Cleofe and Mark at the games
supporting Mahala and the team,” she wrote in a tribute. “You could
rely on Mark to have an extra ball, a pump, first aid supplies and
anything else needed for the soccer season. They were definitely an
involved family.”
Mahala wrote messages to herself as well on sticky notes: “Focus,” “Be a leader!” and “Take the trash out on Thursdays.”
In the backseat next to Mahala was Cleofe’s brother,
who was living with his sister’s family and working at a nearby
university while trying to launch a career in voice-over work. He had
left his previous career selling mortgages after the real estate bust,
but had done well enough to take the extended family on a vacation to
It’s his voice, captured in a 911 call made 49
seconds before the crash, that has been the key evidence so far of why
the Lexus ES350 borrowed from a dealer sped out of control.
“Our accelerator is stuck. We’re on 125,” Lastrella says.
911 Dispatcher: “What are you passing?”
“We’re going 120 at
Lawyers for families say that by the time
The call ends with the men saying “hold on” and
“pray,” before the sound of impact with the bank of a dry riverbed. The
car went airborne and rolled twice before landing and catching fire,
likely from its white-hot brakes.
The crash hit the Saylors’ community hard. More than
200 people came to their memorial service. Twelve Chula Vista Rangers
wore white jerseys in their
Today, the scene is marked by fading flowers. The
two sections of post-and-rail fence replaced after the crash have
almost weathered into the rest.
“It’s hard to not have her (Cleofe) around,” Barnett said. “Still to this day, I expect her to walk in the door.”
—
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