The Lompoc area saw two major crashes this week that injured seven people, including three critically, and resulted in the deaths of two young girls.
The first crash occurred on Wednesday at 3:51 p.m., when a California Highway Patrol officer attempted to pull over the driver of a speeding Infiniti sedan in the area of Harris Grade and Rucker roads near Vandenberg Village, according to CHP. A high-speed pursuit on the northbound side of the Harris Grade ended when the driver failed to negotiate a curve and collided with an oak tree with enough force to tear the car in half.
A CHP officer arriving at the scene found two young girls, a 3-year-old and 7-month-old, had been killed in the crash. The driver, 23-year-old Cuyama resident Brian Hernandez-Cervantes, was moderately injured. He was arrested and charged with suspicion of murder, child endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol, and reckless driving causing injury. He was booked into Santa Barbara County’s Main Jail on no bail. Hernandez-Cervantes is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Maria on November 25.