A family in Wisconsin is beyond devastated after four siblings were killed in a car accident last weekend. Worse, the other car’s driver should never have been on the road that night.
In a criminal complaint obtained by People, the incident happened shortly after 9:00 p.m. Saturday on Highway 10 in Waupaca County. The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office claims 47-year-old Scott Farmer was driving his pick-up truck the wrong way down the road, leading him to crash “head-on” with an SUV carrying four people inside. Unfortunately, all four of the other vehicle’s occupants — a group of siblings — were killed. Three of them, identified as 23-year-old Fabian Gonzalez, 14-year-old Lilian Gonzalez, and 9-year-old Daniela Gonzalez, died at the scene. Awful. Waupaca County Capt. Todd G. Rasmussen said in the complaint:
“All were beyond lifesaving measures and were pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Their 25-year-old older brother, Daniel Gonzalez, was taken to the hospital for medical treatment following the accident. However, he also succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. Their family told WLUK the brothers took their sisters out as they did every Saturday and were only about three miles away from home when the crash occurred. Absolutely heartbreaking.
Related: 15-Year-Old Girl Dead After Two Drivers Who Were Allegedly Racing Crashed Into School Van
As for the fifth person involved in the crash? The alleged drunk driver, Farmer?
In the criminal complaint, Rasmussen says he went to check on Farmer after the crash and discovered an open bottle of vodka next to him. The driver then allegedly told law enforcement he only “spun out” and “didn’t hit anybody.” Was he lying? Was he so drunk he sincerely didn’t realize? Rasmussen further alleged Farmer’s “speech was incoherent at times and his sentences would trail off so I could not understand them.” He added that Farmer refused to listen to the cops.
At one point, the criminal complaint states, Farmer became annoyed and began “threatening to fight” firefighters who were only trying to get him out of the vehicle. As Rasmussen noted in the complaint, “these observations are all indicative of impairment, more specifically impairment caused by consuming alcohol.”
Eventually, Farmer claimed down enough so he could be questioned by officers. And when asked what day it was at the time, he said it was February 12. What?! Reminder, this was LAST SATURDAY. December 17. They then asked him how fast he was driving, to which he responded, “(Expletive) 75,” per WLUK. Farmer also admitted he drank “a lot” before the fatal crash. Jeez.
He ultimately was arrested. Per Waupaca County jail records, Farmer has remained in jail since early Sunday morning. He now faces four charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. And prepare to get even more infuriated, Perezcious readers. This isn’t the first drunk driving incident Farmer has had!
The criminal complaint stated that Farmer had four prior convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated!
FOUR!!!
WLUK reported that his driver’s license was even revoked at the time of the crash. He should never have been on the road!
Fox 6 reports that during a court appearance on Monday, a judge set Farmer’s bail at $750,000 — even though prosecutor Veronica Isherwood requested it be set at $4 million. And understandably, the family is upset by the amount. The siblings’ stepfather, Kurt Schilling, told WLUK:
“$750,000 after killing four beautiful people’s lives, our children. Where’s the justice in that?”
Schilling further told the outlet that he “cannot express” what his stepkids meant to him, adding:
“All I would say is that he and all people who might drink for many bad reasons, to excess, or other drugs, would be responsible and think of others, because you really destroyed our lives.”
So, so sad. Their cousin Luis Gonzalez-Quizhpe also noted the bond amount was “an injustice,” writing in a GoFundMe message:
“My cousins’ life was invaluable. It was priceless. But $750,000 is really an injustice in itself and also an insult to my family because their lives were not worth that little. There will never be an amount that ever reaches the value that my cousins had within our family and within our community.”
Another GoFundMe page has been created to help the Gonzalez family with the funeral expenses. Gonzalez-Quizhpe said the family plans to hold a funeral in Wisconsin before traveling to Ecuador, where their mother Paulina is from, for their burials.
What happened to these four siblings was so terrible… and preventable. Our hearts just break for this family. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Waupaca County Jail, Fox6 News Milwaukee/YouTube]
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