What should have been an ordinary commute last Saturday night in San Joaquin County, California, turned into a nightmarish scene that today has a Hispanic family in deep grief.
Authorities have finally revealed the identity of one of the two men killed in the devastating train crash near Lodi: Rafael Cedeño Lozano, 37.
Rafael Cedeño Lozano’s accident
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) report is shocking.
Rafael was a passenger in a pickup truck traveling westbound on Armstrong Road at a high rate of speed.
It was about 10:00 p.m. when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle ignored the flashing lights and warning bells announcing the arrival of a northbound train.
The pickup truck went through the guardrails just as the iron mass was passing through the crossing.
The impact was so violent that the vehicle burst into flames instantly.
Both Rafael and the driver, a 29-year-old man whose identity is still under medical examiner’s reserve, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The emptiness of a family: Three children and a helpless wife
Beyond the twisted iron and the police investigations, there is the human tragedy.
Rafael Cedeño Lozano was not just a name on a report; he was a husband and dedicated father who lived in Minnesota and was in the area for reasons that today take a back seat to his absence.
Rafael leaves behind his wife, Alejandra, and three children who today face an uncertain future: Stephanie, Alexis and little Vanessa, a newborn baby who was just beginning to know the world from her father’s hand.
The emotional void is immense, but the financial crisis that hits the family after the loss of the main breadwinner is critical.
A call for community solidarity
In the midst of this irreparable pain, the Cedeño family has turned to the solidarity of the community through the GoFundMe platform.
Funds are being raised to cover the costly funeral expenses and, most importantly, to ensure that the three children have the basics as they navigate this very heavy bereavement.
“We are devastated. We ask for your prayers and any help to honor Rafael’s memory and support his children,” is the message that resonates among his loved ones.
A distraction or a second in a hurry can change everything.
Filed under: Rafael Cedeño Lozano accident
