Father of 3 killed in Willowbrook crash involving Metro bus remembered as family man

Amy Powell Image
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Man killed in Willowbrook crash remembered as family man
A father is in mourning after his son was struck and killed in a crash involving a Metro bus in Willowbrook.

WILLOWBROOK, Calif. (KABC) -- A father is in mourning after his son was struck and killed in a crash involving a Metro bus in Willowbrook last Sunday.

Jose Hernandez, 32, was standing near a taco truck when he was fatally struck at South Alameda and 131st Street around 2 a.m.

Surveillance video captured a bus colliding with a van, and the van then hit three other parked cars and customers at a taco stand.

A Metro bus and four other vehicles were involved in the deadly incident. Hernandez was pinned underneath the van.

Jose Hernandez Sr. chokes up as he talks about the death of his oldest son.

Hernandez and his wife had stopped at a sidewalk food stand to get something to eat. That's when a vehicle involved in the crash slammed into them.

Hernandez died at the scene. His wife suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

The 32-year-old was the father of two young boys and a 14-month-old girl.

"He was a good father, husband, great son. Anything you ask him he'll do it for you, doesn't matter what it was," said the victim's father.

The California Highway Patrol says three pedestrians, one passenger on the bus and five passengers in the other vehicles were treated for injuries.

Investigators at the moment do not know why the bus driver suddenly veered to the right, striking the parked vehicles.

In a statement, Metro said it is working closely with law enforcement to figure out what caused the crash, and extending condolences to the families of the victims.