Father abandons children in Madera hit-and-run collision

The California Highway Patrol is looking for the father who fled Tuesday evening from a hit-and-run collision in Madera, leaving behind his four injured children.

The driver, identified as Rafael Cortez, 31, may have been under the influence of alcohol when he failed to negotiate a left turn from northbound Hanover Drive to westbound Avenue 19, slamming his 1999 Volkswagen Jetta into a barbed wire fence, causing the vehicle to roll multiple times, the CHP said.

He then fled the scene of the 6:20 p.m. crash, leaving behind his four children, ages 7 to 13. The severely injured children are being treated at Valley Children’s Hospital.

Anyone with knowledge of Cortez’s whereabouts is asked to call the Madera California Highway Patrol office at (559) 675-1025.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Father abandons children in Madera hit-and-run collision."