A Bakersfield man was arrested and sits behind bars, facing a felony hit and run charge in connection with a car crash that claimed a 22-year-old man's life. It is the fourth major car accident in Kern County in the past few days.
Jose Arreyque-Andrade told 17 News from jail, that he left the scene because he went home to get his shoes, but he intended to come back. Police caught him at his house before he could return.
22-year-old Myron Adolfo Canchan-Barrios's family will never see him again. He was killed at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday while riding his motorcycle in central Bakersfield at Chester Ave. and 1st St. "He came so fast I didn't see it," said Arreyque-Andrade.
Police say Arreyque-Andrade collided with Barrios in the intersection, then took off. "I got scared so I left, so I parked the car at my house. I got no shoes on so I was going to put my shoes on and come back," he said.
Police later arrested Arreyque-Andrade at his home. He faces a felony hit and run charge. "I think it was wrong what I did, really wrong. It's pretty dumb. I should have stayed there," noted Arreyque-Andrade.
Arreyque-Andrade said he had a 40-ounce beer at dinner, but after the crash he was under the legal limit. Police say he was driving without a drivers license.
Arreyque-Andrade's license was suspended in 2008 after he was convicted of DUI. "I wasn't supposed to be driving. I need to work and survive," he said.
Instead of working, Arreyque-Andrade is facing more time behind bars with a heavy heart. "I know how the people feel. I feel the same way when my wife got killed in a car accident 12 years ago," he explained.
Two days ago, the Cabrera family lost a father and a husband. "Just thinking that he won't be home. I wish that he would just come back. That he would be back. It's the most painful thing. We didn't get to say bye to him or anything," said Brianna Cabrera, daughter of Horacio Cabrera.
Horacio Cabrera was a father of six girls. He worked in the garlic fields to support his family. Early Monday morning, Cabrera was killed on his way to work in a car crash at Wheeler Ridge Road, south of Bear Mountain Boulevard.
California Highway Patrol officers say 21-year-old Jovanna Salgado of Arvin, fell asleep while driving and drifted into the opposite lane, slamming head-on into Cabrera.
"Just one thing could destroy a family. She fell asleep. She wasn't paying attention and she left all of us alone and we won't see him again," said Brianna Cabrera.
Last month, 13 people died in traffic accidents in Kern County, including one pedestrian. A head-on crash Tuesday on David Road, just east of Highway 99 killed 58-year-old Jose Hidalgo.
A man was sent to the hospital Tuesday with major injuries after over-correcting and flipping his truck several times on Highway 58, between Interstate 5 and the Frito Lay plant. California Highway Patrol officers say he was not wearing a seat belt.
The CHP has asked the District Attorney's office to file a vehicular manslaughter charge against 21-year-old Jovanna Salgado, the driver who hit Horacio Cabrera, the father of six.