A year after the San Fernando couple Yadira and Marcos Caamal were fatally injured in a two-car collision, their relatives are still seeking justice for their untimely deaths.
Yadira Caamal, 45, passed away that fateful night of July 15, 2024, while her husband, 48, was hospitalized and remained in a coma for three weeks before succumbing to his injuries.
“It’s been a year and it feels like it was just yesterday,” said Isela Saucedo, Yadira Caamal’s sister.
“They were loved by so many, and it’s changed so many lives because of them not being here anymore,” she continued. “Our hearts will be broken forever. Our families will never be the same.”
The family wants justice and to see the “highest punishment” for the unlicensed teen driver responsible for the crash near the intersection of San Fernando Mission Boulevard and Hollister Street. Saucedo previously told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol she was informed the teen reportedly ran a red light and was driving at “double the speed limit.”
“I feel there should be more serious consequences, and the parents should be held accountable,” said Saucedo.
The juvenile driver was 16 when he was arrested for the fatal car crash, but the Caamal’s family said they want to see him tried as an adult.
The juvenile court system has different rules and procedures from the adult system, focusing on rehabilitation over harsh penalties. Under California law, a minor at least 16 years old can be charged as an adult for serious offenses. Instead of serving time in a juvenile detention facility with mandated counseling services, a minor charged as an adult could face decades in state prison for the same crime. Cases like this one can be controversial.
Saucedo hopes to meet with the new District Attorney Nathan Hochman – who ran on a platform of being tougher on crime than his predecessor, George Gascón. She would like Hochman to consider revisiting her sister’s case and charge the teen as an adult.
“We’re tired. No family deserves to go through this,” said Saucedo. “We want justice for our family.”
This is horrible. I feel so sorry for this family. I live here, and I never see any police presence enforcing traffic. None.