Two children have been killed while retrieving luggage that fell from their car on a US freeway.
The 10-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl were hit by another car on Sunday night in Vista, a suburb of San Diego in California.
Their mother, Sandra Ortiz, has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
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She had pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway and the children had stepped out of the car when they were struck.
Both died at the scene.
The 41-year-old woman driving the car which struck them stayed at the scene.
Ortiz, 33, faces charges including DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and child endangerment.
The children have been identified as Alan Gerardo Aguilar and Amy Monserrat Beltran by their father, Miguel Aguilar.
There were four other kids in the car when the pair died, Aguilar said.
Aguilar said his family had been homeless, he said, but had been staying in hotels for some time.
The family of eight had been sleeping in the car for the past week.
Ortiz and the children were on their way to Sunset Park in San Marcos on Sunday to sell bracelets to raise money to buy a present for Father’s Day when the incident happened.
They had intended to head to Aguilar’s mother’s home in Vista to shower and eat.
Told over the phone
Aguilar received the news of Amy and Alan’s deaths on Sunday over the phone.
“As soon as she said this, my heart just dropped,” he told NBC 7.
The father said he believes the children were attempting to retrieve Alan’s backpack and a suitcase after they flew off the roof of the car.
“I wish I could have been there,” Aguilar said. “That way I could have done something.”
“I would have been the one getting off — stop the traffic or something — instead of my children in the middle of traffic getting hit.”
‘It’s not her fault’
Ortiz and Aguilar have been together for 13 years, but are not legally married.
“She’s my wife in my heart,” Aguilar said. “I love her to death.”
“I hope that one day she sees this and knows that I do love her.
“And I don’t hold anything against her for the loss of our kids.
“It’s not her fault.”
Investigation ongoing
Ortiz is being held on $US500,000 bail.
Her arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.
A GoFundMe has been created to raise funds for the family.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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