Mom says Napa close call was a miracle; driver won't be cited

NAPA, Calif. (KTVU) - A Napa mother said it is a miracle that she and her two children are alive after they were almost hit by an out-of-control car.

The close call happened on Monday outside of the Villa Corona restaurant in Napa’s Bel Air Plaza. Yuliana Perez was leaving the restaurant with her 3-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. Surveillance video from the restaurant shows the family walking out of the restaurant as a car plows into outdoor tables and chairs and narrowly missed the family.

“I saw the was car very close to me and it’s coming, but I can’t do anything,” Perez said.

Perez said her daughter, Daniella Avalos, walked away with a scrape on her arm. Her son, Oscar Avalos, was also unharmed. Perez returned to the restaurant on Wednesday and embraced Vivian Saldivar, the restaurant server who ran outside to check on the family after the incident.

“When I went to the door that day I was expecting to see the worst and it's a blessing that's she's sitting next to me,” Saldivar said. “I’m emotional, but I’m very happy that she's alive and that her kids are fine.”

Napa Police told KTVU the accident was driver error. A woman in her 60s was behind the wheel and will not face charges or be cited. Perez said the woman apologized to her as they shared an ambulance. 

“I can't believe it. I cannot believe that we are alive,” Perez said. 

She said she believes God was with her and her children the day.