Mother of four dead after Perris DUI wreck that critically injured children

PERRIS, Calif. — A mother of four has died after she and her four children were involved in a head-on, rollover crash involving two vehicles in Perris early New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31. Officials have said a total of six people were hospitalized after the collision and that the driver who caused the crash was later arrested for DUI and will now be facing other related charges after the fatal wreck.

Although officials have not released the deceased woman’s name, her family has since identified her as Brenda De Alba, of Mira Loma. De Alba’s Facebook page indicated she grew up in Perris.

De Alba’s and her four children, including two of whom were critically injured in the collision, were hospitalized after the crash, which happened in the area of Mapes Road and A Street. One of the critically injured children remains hospitalized, while the rest of De Alba’s family tries to cope with her senseless and tragic death.

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Deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station, along with Cal Fire-Riverside and other emergency personnel who were dispatched to the scene shortly before 7 p.m. found two heavily-damaged vehicles blocking the entire roadway, with vehicle parts and debris spread throughout the area.

The vehicles were described as a passenger sedan and SUV, but it was not immediately clear which vehicle the victim and her family had been traveling in when the accident occurred.

A mother and her four young children were all injured, including two juveniles whose injuries were considered critical, after a DUI related crash in Perris on Christmas Eve. At least three others were hospitalized according to authorities who added that one driver was later arrested for DUI. RVC News photos

De Alba and her four children were found trapped and injured in one of the vehicles and firefighters performed a cut and rescue operation to free the injured occupants from their wrecked vehicle.

Officials later reported that De Alba and two young children in her vehicle were critically injured in the collision, while two other children and another adult sustained injuries that ranged from moderate to major, according to a Cal Fire-Riverside social media release.

Although a Mercy Air Ambulance was initially requested, it was later cancelled and all the victims injured in the collision were transported by ground ambulances to area hospitals.

“One subject was arrested for DUI,” Perris Station officials later reported; while not providing the person’s name, specifying the nature of that driver’s injuries or which vehicle the arrested individual had been driving.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY: 2 children, 1 adult critical, 3 others hospitalized after Perris DUI wreck

In the wake of De Alba’s death, her cousin, Ana Mejia, created a GoFundMe account to help the victim’s family with funeral costs, medical bills, and other expenses. As of this update the family had raised a mere $200 toward their $10,000 goal.

Brenda De alba is seen with her four children in this photo shared to her Facebook account as well as a GoFundMe account established by her grieving family. De Alba family photo

“Brenda was an amazing mom, friend, daughter and cousin,” Mejia said in the fundraiser.

“She always went above and beyond for her kids,” Mejia continued; adding, “She will be remembered as someone that was always smiling and happy regardless of the situation she was going through at that moment.”

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including KRCR News Channel 7 and Mountain Echo in Shasta County, Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.