Family mourns loss of 2 children in crash
Family devastated in fatal car crash, uncle speaks
The uncle of two children killed in a I-580 Oakland car crash over the weekend speaks out on the family tragedy and heartbreaking loss.
OAKLAND, Calif. - It was a horrific crash on Interstate 580 in Oakland. In an instant, a family lost two children. A third child and their mother ended up in the hospital.
"Really, the experience is unimaginable. I don't think anyone can really grasp or fully explain," Charles Perkins, the uncle of the children said Monday.
Perkins said his brother, Jovarion Parks, is struggling over the loss of two of his kids, trying to make sense of it all at an already difficult time.
"In the middle of this pandemic, you know, which compounds the experience even more, especially with Natasha in the hospital," Perkins said.
Natasha Parks was driving with her three children in a white Honda Accord on westbound I-580 near 13th Avenue at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday. They were headed to school to pick up a laptop, when tragedy struck.
"A Honda Accord lost control, collided with the center divide and then collided with a Ford F-250 that was parked in the center divide," said California Highway Patrol Officer Sean Layton.
The Ford truck was a rental being used by Caltrans. Two workers were outside of the truck working on a drain and weren't hurt.
A third vehicle, a white Toyota Sienna minivan, then hit the Caltrans truck.
Killed in the crash were 13-year-old Elijah and 8-year-old Candace.
"They were just smart, bright, happy, intelligent kids, you know? They loved to play. Elijah loved Legos," Perkins said.
Candace was the youngest.
"She was the light of Jovarion's eyes," Perkins said. "She loved to play. She was just an eager learner."
Their mother and a third child, 10-year-old Jovarion Parks Jr., were hurt.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but the CHP says speed appears to be a factor.
"We do have witnesses that did place the Honda Accord at a speed greater than the flow of traffic," Layton said.
Perkins said his reaction to the tragedy is that of "shock and disbelief."
He said his brother had worked as an Uber driver but is now unemployed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, he said Parks is trying to be strong.
"He is definitely grieving, you know, but I think he is holding up and managing well. I think all the support and love from people has just been empowering," Perkins said.
Contribute to the family's Gofundme.