“We’ve been in shock. We’ve been angry. It’s hard to believe that this is real.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A family is grieving the loss of a daughter and her boyfriend after a deadly crash in North Sacramento that killed three people and sent two others to the hospital a little more than a week ago.
The family identified two of the victims as 29-year-old Maria Aurora Victoria Titman and 31-year-old Christian Garcia.
Debris from the crash remained scattered across the roadway near Northgate Boulevard and Del Paso Boulevard, where two vehicles were involved in the collision. Sacramento police said two people were pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving measures, and a third person later died at the hospital.
Albert Titman Sr., Maria’s father, said the past week has been overwhelming for his family. “It’s been a long week. It’s literally been a week and a couple of days,” he said. “We’ve been in shock. We’ve been angry. It’s hard to believe that this is real.”
Titman spoke Tuesday at St. Mary Cemetery and Funeral Center in Sacramento, where the family is making funeral arrangements for Maria.
He said Maria and Garcia were together on Dec. 10 when Maria’s mother, Angela Titman, picked them up. Maria, he said, was in a transition period in her career and was set to start a new job the next day at an elder nursing facility. They were on their way to buy scrubs.
Police said two people died at the scene, which the family said included Garcia and another person in the second vehicle. Maria later died at the hospital. Angela Titman survived the crash but was seriously injured.
Albert Titman Sr. said his wife is still undergoing medical treatment. “She’s in surgery right now, and so we need prayers for my wife and her journey,” he said. “My wife was in the accident. She watched my daughter succumb to her injuries, and she watched Christian die on the scene.”
The father of five described Maria as a kind, loving, and free-spirited person. He said planning her funeral has been emotionally devastating, especially as she was preparing to begin a new chapter in her life.
In keeping with the family’s culture, Maria will be laid to rest following Native American traditions. “We’ll have our Aztec relatives leading the procession and then our Miwok relatives will lay her into the ground,” Titman said, adding that members of local tribal communities will sing her into the ground.
Sacramento police said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.
The family plans to hold Maria’s viewing on Friday, the 13th, at Klumpps Funeral Home on Riverside Boulevard from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Then the following day at 10 a.m. And because she loved Valentine’s Day, they said she will be laid to rest on the 14th after a procession to St. Mary Cemetery and Funeral Center.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Caltrans sued after deadly motorcycle crashes in Highway 50 Fix 50 zone
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read