Family mourns ‘noble’ mother, ‘loving’ son, 9, killed in Fresno hit-and-run crash
Family and friends mourned a Fresno mom and her 9-year-old son who were killed in a hit-and-run crash at a vigil Tuesday evening.
Loved ones gathered and placed lit candles outside Chosen Salon in Old Town Clovis, where Martha Hernandez, 41, worked.
Martha’s mother, Evangelina Herrera, spoke of her daughter outside the salon.
“She was a very good daughter — studious, with a desire to better herself and get ahead in life. She was always very hardworking and a fighter, a very noble person — very, very noble — and she loved helping everyone,” Herrera said in Spanish.
Herrera emotionally recalled her grandson, Adrian Hernandez, as a kind-hearted child.
“And as for the boy, what can I say? He was such a good child — very loving, and also very studious and intelligent. He would come in and always say, ‘Grandma, I love you very much.’ He would give me a big hug,” she said.
Martha Hernandez will be buried in Mexico, her family confirmed. A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover funeral expenses and support Hernandez’s surviving 17-year-old son.
Martha and Adrian Hernandez were killed early Monday. Police said the pair were on their way home from a family party in Madera when a motorist ran a red light and broadsided the mother and son.
The force of the crash thrust Hernandez’s car into a canal near McKinley Avenue and Fresno Street, and the driver of the other car fled the scene. Martha and Adrian Hernandez’s bodies were later recovered from the canal.
Later that day, Timothy Seth Chavez, 22, surrendered to authorities. He’s charged with two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, two counts of felony hit-and-run, driving without insurance and driving on a suspended license.
According to booking records, Chavez is being held on a bail of around $82,000. As of Wednesday afternoon, records show that he’s still in custody.
Daniel Gurrola, Hernandez’s father, and Herrera said they want justice for their daughter and grandson.
“It’s incredibly hard for us. There’s nothing we can do. We just want justice to be served — let the law take its proper course,” Gurrola said.
