Raymundo Argueta Sr. was driving to run an errand with his wife and 10-year-old daughter on Saturday, Aug. 17, before his niece’s birthday party, when a driver who was allegedly under the influence crossed lanes into oncoming traffic.
The family was within a mile of their Temple City home when Argueta’s wife, Jennifer, 42, told him to watch out. Before she could tell him why, Raymundo Argueta Sr. said it looked as though their Honda CR-V had exploded and imploded at the same time.
Argueta Sr. didn’t know what had just happened, but he saw his wife was badly hurt and heard his daughter, Sabrina, cry for him from her booster seat in the back. When he tried to react, Argueta Sr. realized he had been hurt, too.
Witnesses in the area assured Argueta Sr. that they saw the crash and called for help. He pleaded that they find a way to save his wife and daughter.
First responders extracted the family members from the car and took them to a hospital, where Jennifer Argueta and Sabrina died of their injuries.
“I then had to apologize to my sister-in-law that we would never get to celebrate my niece’s birthday,” Argueta Sr. said through tears. “It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but that will never happen. That day will be the worst day of all of our lives.”
Charges
The suspect in Jennifer and Sabrina Arguetas’ deaths, 27-year-old Diego Santoscruz, was charged on Tuesday Aug. 27 with two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office alleged that Santoscruz, who lives in an unincorporated L.A. County area known as South San Gabriel, was driving a Toyota Scion xB while under the influence of alcohol around 1 p.m. when he drove into opposing traffic.
Santoscruz allegedly struck the Arguetas’ vehicle head-on near the intersection of Temple City Boulevard and Gidley Street in Temple City, killing Jennifer and Sabrina and injuring Argueta Sr., breaking five of his ribs and leaving him with severe bruising in multiple areas. A passenger in Santoscruz’s car was also injured in the crash.
Santoscruz’s arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 24 in the Alhambra Courthouse. Prosecutors recommend his bail be set at $4.255 million. Authorities previously said he was on probation for a DUI at the time of the crash.
If convicted, Santoscruz faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash.
“This reckless act of violence proves that being under the influence of anything, regardless if it’s drugs or alcohol, can destroy lives,” said 23-year-old Raymundo Argueta Jr., Argueta Sr. and Jennifer Argueta’s son. “It’s not just the lives of the people that he injured. It’s also the lives that they have to deal with afterwards.”
The family has started a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral services for Jennifer Argueta and Sabrina.
‘She left an impact on anybody who she met’
Both Jennifer Argueta and Sabrina were kind and loving people who tried to bring positivity to everyone they met, Argueta Sr. and Argueta Jr. said.
Sabrina had started fifth grade at Longden Elementary School days before the crash took her life. Throughout the summer break, she was excited to return to school, spend time with her friends and have the same teacher her brother did years before.
Sabrina was selfless and sweet, her father said. Staff from her school told him that his daughter was “one of the biggest sweethearts at the school,” who talked to and touched everyone. She knew teachers, principals and the janitorial staff, Argueta Sr. said.
Every day when her brother and dad got home, she greeted them with hugs and asked them about their day.
“She radiated so much love in her smile that it truly did leave a positive impact, not just on us and our family,” Argueta Jr. said, “but she left an impact on anybody who she met.”
Jennifer Argueta was passionate about her career as a librarian. She most recently worked at the University of La Verne, where co-workers told her husband that she was one of the best archivists in the Los Angeles area. She previously worked at the L.A. Law Library and at Azusa Pacific University.
In October 2007, Argueta Sr. and his wife were supposed to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary and take time for a honeymoon trip, when Argueta Sr. was working a security job and was involved in a crash that left him seriously injured.
The crash put Argueta Sr. in a coma for two weeks. For two months after that, he remained in the hospital until officials released him to continue recovering at home.
His wife stepped up, caring for him and Argueta Jr., paying bills and planning family trips, so they could maintain a sense of normalcy.
“I don’t even think I’ll ever meet anybody, not even a small fraction of what my wife was,” Argueta Sr. said. “When you find the one person, that’s it. No one else will compare.”
Jennifer Argueta rarely raised her voice and instead tried to guide her kids and teach them lessons calmly, Argueta Jr. said. Whenever he needed help, she gave him advice, but also assured him that the choice he made would always be the right one for him.
Without her advice, he said he likely would’ve never considered a college education.
Jennifer Argueta and Sabrina both helped to build the kind of home Argueta Sr. always wanted to create — one that was a safe place where people could feel loved and express their emotions freely.
As Argueta Sr. grieves the loss of his wife and daughter, he must also recover from his own injuries. His son is helping to care for him.
While Argueta Sr.’s bruises are clearing up, his broken ribs make it painful to cough, sneeze, laugh or cry, and he needs help with everyday tasks, his son said. The recovery could take months.
But most of all, he’s pained to know he won’t be able to hug his wife and daughter again.
“I have had many tragedies in my life. I’ve seen a lot of suffering,” Argueta Sr. said. “But there shouldn’t be people who are good like (my wife and daughter) who go away. Those are the people you need in this world who help make it better.”
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