Mother of two children and wife of a veteran who died in a wrong-way driving accident in Don Pedro

LAKE DON PEDRO, Calif. – A woman who died in a wrong-way driving accident near Lake Don Pedro last week is being remembered by her loved ones for her infectious laugh that always spread joy.

“She loved to have fun, if you ever heard her laugh… her laugh was contagious. If you told her something funny, you would hear her laughing and everyone else could feel her joy,” said Romy Walton, the victim’s sister-in-law.

Walton knew this woman as Janelle Hall, the kind and patient mother of two from La Grange and wife of her husband, an Iraq War veteran.

Hall was killed when a wrong-way driver drove 100 mph (160 km/h) illegally crossed the double yellow line on a mountain road to overtake another car.

“I crossed the double yellow line and collided with Janelle on a blind curve,” Walton said.

“He pushed her car 100 feet backwards and she was hit by the impact. The only good thing is that she didn’t suffer,” added Erin Vereschagin, another of Hall’s sisters-in-law.

Hall leaves behind her two children, a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old, and her husband. Vereschagin said Hall was not only her husband’s primary caregiver and wife, but also his savior.

“He was on the front line and came back with some difficulties, and she saved him,” Vereschagin said. “She was his caregiver all this time and now she is even more so. Losing her is really unfair.”

Some details of the accident are still unclear, but Vereschagin said Hall was on her way back from the DMV when it happened. She said police told her there was no way her sister-in-law could have prevented the accident.

It is difficult for the two sisters to understand the crash and its consequences.

“What are you doing up here driving 100 miles an hour through our neighborhood? You killed our sister-in-law. I know he and his passengers also died because of your reckless driving, but this could all have been avoided,” Walton said.

“It’s about 250 meters from a stop sign. What on earth were you doing to drive so fast? … I don’t understand this and it makes me so angry,” Vereschagin added.

While the family struggles with the loss, they also try to find their way forward.

“This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us in our lives. People die when they are older. Of course, grandparents have died before, but something like this has never happened before,” said Vereschagin.

To help the family, Walton set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral expenses and support Hall’s children, who are struggling to comprehend that their mother is not coming home.

After talking to their own families about driving safety, Vereschagin and Walton have a simple message for everyone on the road: Slow down and stop this from happening to others.

“Slower, slower. That’s not it. You’ll make it. That’s OK. If you’re late, whatever happened, there’s no reason to drive so fast,” Vereschagin said.

“Always think about the people around you. It’s not just about you. It’s about everyone,” Walton added.

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