Three children and two adults were killed in Hesperia on Sunday when a delivery van crashed into the car they were riding in as it paused at a stop sign in the Southern California desert community.
The wreck occurred just before 7 a.m. at Main Street and Balsam Avenue when a Honda carrying the five people was struck by a Ford van.
The van being driven by a man had crossed over into opposite lanes, flipped over and landed on top of the Honda, said Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities said a woman and girl were pronounced dead at the scene and a man and boy were taken to a hospital, where they died from their injuries.
Both children were between 3 and 5 years old, authorities said. The man and woman were in their 30s.
After a tow truck removed the van from atop the Honda, another body was found. Emergency personnel were unable to see the body of a teenage boy because the car was so badly crushed.
The relationship between the five victims was not immediately known.
No charges have been filed against the driver of the van, who suffered minor injuries in the crash.
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Witnesses said the driver was able to get out of the van on his own and seemed disoriented.
The driver was cooperating with investigators, officials said.
Jane Yamamoto contributed to this report.
