SAN MATEO – What was supposed to be a celebration turned into a horrific tragedy.
A new bride and other four Filipino friends died after the limousine they rented suddenly burst into flames, while crossing the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge on Saturday, May 4 around 10pm.
The bride was 31-year-old Filipina, Neriza Fojas, a registered nurse who works at the Community Medical Center in Fresno.
Fojas recently got married and was planning a second wedding in the Philippines on June 19.
She and her friends just came from a birthday party and were on their way to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for her bridal shower, where her husband was waiting. All of the women in the party were Fojas’ fellow nurses.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault told NBC that the victims were burned beyond recognition and were identified by their dental records.
Aside from Fojas, the four others who perished were Michelle Estrera, Jennifer Balon, Anna Alcantara and Felomina Geronga.
Foucrault also added that the victims were found lying on top of each other, with one trying to climb through the partition.
Investigators hope that the bride’s four other friends who survived will be able to shed some light about what happened.
The driver, 46-year-old Orville Brown, escaped unhurt.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he said that when the 1999 Lincoln Town car was over the bridge, he initially misunderstood what one of the women was saying about “smoke.”
With the music playing, he thought the woman was asking if she could smoke, but seconds later, the women knocked again, screaming, “Smoke, smoke!” and “Pull over!”
By the time Brown pulled over and got our of the car, the back of the limo was already in flames. Four passengers managed to squeeze through the partition behind the driver and escaped the blaze. They are Mary Grace Guardiano, 42 (of Alameda); Jasmine Desguia, 34 (of San Jose); Nelia Arrellano, 36 (of Oakland); and Amalia Loyola, 48 (of San Leandro).
Three of the survivors are still in the hospital, while Arellano was treated and released.
Grief-stricken
In an interview with Hawaii News Now on May 5, Fojas’ sister, Roslyn Fojas Bersamin, who is based in Hawaii, said that her Fojas was “a hard worker and a loving sister.”
The bride’s parents, who are in the Philippines, were stricken with grief when they found out about what happened to their daughter. In an interview with GMA News, Fojas’ mother Sonya said, “How painful, how painful what happened.”
United States Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr. also expressed condolences to the victims and their families via Twitter.
The limousine is owned by Limo Stop and has been cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
“LimoStop Inc. will do everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining the cause of this fire in order to help bring forth answers and provide closure to the victims and their families,” it said in a recently released statement.
It was reported that the limousine was only supposed to carry a maximum of eight passengers, according to the state Public Utilities Commission.There were 9 passengers in the vehicle when the fire happened.
It is, however, still unclear whether the extra passenger was a factor in the accident.
(AJPress with reports from CNN, AP)