Ernest Latta,Lisa Latta Obituary, Death; – The family of a couple from Hayward is searching for answers following a head-on collision with a Tesla that resulted in the deaths of the two individuals while they were riding a motorcycle on a curvy highway in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Saturday.
The couple’s daughter has identified them as Ernest Latta, aged 61, and Lisa Latta, aged 59. “They were opposites, yet they complemented each other perfectly,” Christina Gonzales Latta remarked about her parents. “They were like French fries and ice cream.”
She further stated, “The love they shared was the strongest I have ever witnessed.”
The couple was traveling south on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Highway 9, just south of Highway 35, at approximately 4:45 p.m. when their motorcycle collided head-on with a Tesla Model 3 heading north, according to the California Highway Patrol. The force of the collision propelled the couple onto the roadway, where they tragically lost their lives.
The driver of the Tesla, an 18-year-old woman from San Jose, did not sustain any injuries, as reported by the CHP.
As of Wednesday, no arrests had been made, and the investigation into the crash was still ongoing, according to the CHP. The agency has provided limited additional information.
Gonzales Latta characterized her step-father as a passionate motorcyclist who always emphasized safety, particularly when her mother was riding with him. “He was a protector,” Gonzales Latta expressed.
For that reason, Gonzales Latta suspects the Tesla driver was at fault, she said, adding that she wonders whether the driver was texting or speeding. “I don’t know why my mom and dad are gone,” she said. “It’s very hard.”
She said she believes her parents, who were together for 40 years, were headed to Santa Cruz to eat at a nice restaurant. The couple commonly rode to coastal cities on weekends. With a shared love for the ocean, Santa Cruz and Monterey were among their favorite destinations, Gonzales Latta said.
She remembered her step-father as a quiet, humble, intelligent and adventurous man. Her mother was loud, thoughtful and caring, she said. Lisa Latta had her when she was 17. “We grew up together,” Gonzales Latta said.
The couple met in San Jose when Gonzales Latta was 2 after her mother relocated from Staten Island in search of a better life for Gonzales Latta and her brother. Their family later grew when Ernest and Lisa Latta had a son.
Gonzales Latta said something felt wrong Saturday after her parents did not come home to pick up their 7-month-old Yorkie, named Arlington. Concerned for her parents, Gonzales Latta called hospitals across the Bay Area. It wasn’t until authorities called her and referred her to the Santa Cruz County coroner the next day that she learned the tragic news.
She said she hopes for justice for her parents. For now, she feels a sense of peace because “they’re always going to be together now,” she said. As for Arlington, Lisa Latta’s brother took him in. “For him, that’s a piece of her,” Gonzales Latta said.
The family created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses. Gonzales Latta said her immediate priority was to make arrangements for her parents’ funeral. “After I lay my parents to rest,” she said, “I need answers.”
