Adrianna Sanchez, 25, was driving with her brother, 18-year-old Adam Sanchez, in San Bernardino County, California, about 7 a.m. on January 23, 2026, when tragedy struck. A 70-year-old man crossed into the Sanchez’s lane and hit their vehicle head-on. Sadly, all three perished in the crash. Maria Cardenas, the victims’ mother, had a terrible feeling the morning of the accident, and when she arrived at the crash site, she knew her children were gone.
According to a statement obtained by People, the crash happened on a rural two-lane road. Upon impact, both cars ignited. The Sanchez siblings and the other driver all died at the scene. The cause of the accident remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
Cardenas told KABC that her children were on their way to pick up a cousin at University of California Santa Barbara. She said the area where the crash happened is “scary,” and others reported the man was driving erratically in his Cadillac the morning of the crash.
“It’s just so tragic to lose both my children, because somebody might have been in a rush or late,” Cardenas said, per KABC. “I don’t know what was on this person’s mind, or what rush this early in the morning. But I know my daughter is a good driver, and she had no time to react.”
When she arrived at the accident scene, Cardenas had a terrible feeling. She said investigators bombarded her with questions to help identify the victims.
“They were like, ‘Tell me about the kids,’ and I’m trying to describe my daughter. And I’m just like, ‘She just got a haircut, and she has glasses.’ And they said, ‘Tell me about the boy,’ and I said, ‘He has glasses, too,’ and then they asked me if he had braces, and I said, ‘Yes, he still has braces,'” Cardenas explained. “Just sick to my stomach, you know?”
Cardenas lost her only daughter and one of her two sons in the accident. Loved ones created a GoFundMe account to help the grieving mother, her husband, and her remaining son.
“With heavy hearts, we share the loss of our beloved children, Adrianna and Adam, who were taken from us in a tragic car accident through no fault of their own,” the fundraiser reads. “Our family is doing everything we can to honor their lives and lay them to rest with the love and dignity they deserve.”
Cardenas warned other drivers to be cautious on the road. “Take your time. You’re going to get there. Just arrive safely and think about the others on the road, not just yourself,” she told KABC.
Losing a child is horrific, but losing two at once is a pain no parent should ever endure. Hopefully, this accident should serve as a reminder to motorists that speeding and reckless driving can truly be deadly. It’s just not worth it.
