Seven people from the same Washington state family were killed in a brutal car accident in Oregon as they headed to Las Vegas, surviving family members said.
Jessie Tate said that her sister, Erika Boquet, 29, of Tacoma and her three children, along with another relative and that relative’s two children, were killed in the Aug. 13 wreck.
“Erika was kind and always giving to others. Her heart was big and full of compassion. Words can not describe how much Erika, Bella, Elisa, and Tytis will be missed. Taken from us way too soon.”
Crash Killed Everyone
Oregon State Police said that a person driving a 1999 Toyota 4Runner veered into the opposite lane and struck another Toyota 4Runner being driven by the Boquet family.The driver of the other vehicle was also killed. The crash happened about 10 a.m. on Oregon 78 near milepost 30, southeast of Burns, according to the police.
A picture from the scene shared by the police show both vehicles heavily mangled with one flipped upside down.
He said that he first learned about the crash from relatives who contacted him through social media websites, prompting him to call his father, who had been informed that Boquet was involved.
Tate said his sister often volunteered and she created her own nonprofit, Last Stop, that held an Easter Egg hunt and was planning a backpack drive when the family trip concluded. Her longterm plans included building a brand new park.
Car Crash Statistics
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, analyzing data from the Department of Transportation, there were 37,461 deaths from car accidents in 2016, the last year complete data is available for.The deaths occurred across 34,439 fatal motor vehicle accidents.
The number translates to 11.6 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, although those numbers can vary widely across states.
The majority of fatal accidents are single-vehicle crashes, the institute noted.