A father has died and a mother remains hospitalized. This Clovis family asks for help

The family of a Clovis couple hit by a Tesla in San Francisco started a GoFundMe to raise money for the four children left behind by Benjamin Dean, who died in the crash.

His wife, Kelly Dean, remains at San Francisco General Hospital, facing a long road to recovery, according to her family.

Kelly’s mother, Kathy Erwin-Copeland, says her daughter will recover, but the family is devastated over the loss of Benjamin.

“Benjamin brought three short years of happiness to his wife, and he loved her with all of his heart,” she said in a Facebook post. “He also loved and treated (his stepdaughter) Serena as his own, and she loved him and thought of him as her dad. And as devastated as we are, I can’t begin to imagine the pain that Ben’s three sons are going through.”

Ashley Camarena, who identified herself as Kelly’s sister, wrote in another post, “Nothing but time can heal the emotional damage done - to Kelly, his boys, his parents, his sisters, Serena, us. I am asking everyone to please be careful. People see themselves as invincible; even if you are, those around you are still only human with a family and friends that love them.”

The GoFundMe account was started by Nancy Harper, who says she is Kelly’s niece. Donations will help with the couple’s children, who are starting school next month, Harper said.

Wedding anniversary celebration

Benjamin, 39, and Kelly were in San Francisco on July 21 celebrating their third wedding anniversary, according to the couple’s social media posts. About half an hour before the crash, Kelly posted photos that appear to be from the couple’s visit to the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco.

Police say they were crossing the intersection of Taylor and O’Farrel streets just after 2 p.m. when they were hit by a speeding Tesla that ran a red light and smashed into a mini Cooper.

The Tesla struck the couple, killing Benjamin and leaving Kelly in critical condition.

In a dashcam video of the crash released by ABC 7, Kelly seems to see the Tesla coming. She stops and tries to shield her husband with her arms seconds before the Tesla hits them both.

Police say the Tesla was driven by 21-year-old Kelsey Mariah Cambridge, KPIX reported, and she was arrested on suspicion of running a red light and manslaughter.

Cambridge, of Vallejo, reportedly rented the Tesla through the peer-to-peer rental service Getaround.

KPIX reported the Tesla was not on auto mode at the time of the crash, and police are working with Tesla to obtain further evidence. A data storage device from the car will also be analyzed.

Kelly and Benjamin’s work-life

Both Deans worked for Fresno County Social Services, according to Oralia Gomez, a deputy director with the department. Benjamin Dean was a program supervisor and Kelly Dean is an eligibility worker.

Gomez said on Wednesday that she was not sure how long they had been working for the county, but she said the pair was well-liked and the staff was grieving.

“They are very sad and hurt about the situation,” she said. “They are continuing to have challenges with accepting what happened.”

This story was originally published July 28, 2019 at 2:59 PM.