On a quiet Tuesday afternoon at the Brough Trailer Court in Provo, Utah, a family’s normal routine shattered in an instant. Around 1:10 p.m., 28-year-old Nereyda Miranda was driving a black GMC Yukon through the mobile-home park near 860 W. Columbia Lane when tragedy struck. Two young siblings—2½-year-old Claudia Isela Sandoval Martinez and her 4-year-old brother Esequiel (Sandoval) Martinez—were standing by their father who was working on a bicycle at the roadside, and suddenly the vehicle hit them.
Claudia was pronounced dead at the hospital; her brother was treated for injuries and later reported to be in stable condition. According to arrest documents, Miranda had placed trash bags on her vehicle’s hood, which are believed to have blocked her forward vision as she left the trailer court.
Investigators say video footage from a neighbor’s home shows the Yukon moving quickly before the impact. The documents say Claudia was run over and Esequiel managed only to partially move out of the way. Police arrested Miranda on suspicion of second-degree felony manslaughter and have held her without bail.
The children’s father, Jorge Sandoval, had been standing by the road while repairing his son’s bicycle, unaware of how quickly the moment would turn catastrophic. A family member speaking for them said the father still doesn’t understand why the driver didn’t notice the kids. “He doesn’t know why the lady didn’t look out, why she had bags on her car,” said Claudia’s aunt, Kathleen Vaca Zepeda.
Neighbors described the scene as chaotic and heartbreaking. Long-time resident Cindy Baxter recalled hearing the crash and seeing the father smashed the car windows in desperation. “And I look, and the 3-year-old little girl was on the ground, unconscious,” she said.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the Sandoval-Martinez family cover funeral costs, medical bills and ongoing therapy for Esequiel, who reportedly also has a broken foot from the collision. In the meantime, the police traffic team continues its investigation; though there is no indication of impairment on the driver’s part, the presence of the obstructing trash bags has raised serious questions about negligence.
In the quiet of their trailer-park home, a family is now grappling with an unthinkable loss and a little boy is recovering while holding onto memories of his sister — memories no child should ever have to carry.
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