Brian Hernandez-Cervantes Arrested; – Two young children tragically lost their lives in a two-vehicle collision involving a drunk driver just north of Lompoc on Wednesday, as reported by the California Highway Patrol.
The agency has stated that one of the drivers, 23-year-old Brian Hernandez-Cervantes from Cuyama, was arrested for impaired driving, which led to the fatalities.
At approximately 3:50 p.m., a CHP officer patrolling the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village area attempted to pull over an Infinity sedan for speeding. The driver, identified as Hernandez-Cervantes, fled northbound on Harris Grade Road.
Authorities indicated that the driver accelerated to dangerous speeds, overtaking other vehicles recklessly on the narrow two-lane road. Less than a minute later, Hernandez-Cervantes lost control while navigating a curve and collided with a tree, causing the vehicle to split in two, according to CHP reports.
The front section of the car slid down a heavily wooded hillside, while the rear portion crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a southbound Toyota Equinox. An officer arriving shortly after the incident found that the passengers in the Infinity sedan—two children aged three years and seven months—had died as a result of the crash.
Hernandez-Cervantes sustained moderate injuries, while the driver of the Toyota Equinox was unharmed. It was determined that Hernandez-Cervantes was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, leading to his arrest.
He has been booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on multiple charges, including murder, felony child endangerment, felony driving under the influence, and reckless driving causing injury. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities encourage anyone with further information to contact the Buellton Area CHP office at (805) 691-6160.
