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Family mourns woman killed in head-on collision in Tuolumne County

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The family of 33-year-old Janelle Hall said they are heartbroken and angry after a head-on collision in Tuolumne County last week that left four people dead, including Hall. The California Highway Patrol said the driver of a pickup truck traveling north on Bonds Flat Road just after 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31, crossed the yellow center line at over 100 mph to pass another vehicle. As he approached La Grange Road, the driver collided head-on with Hall’s Toyota Highlander, according to the CHP. There were three people in the pickup truck. All four people involved in the crash died at the scene. Hall’s sisters-in-law Romy Walton and Erin Vereschagin spoke to KCRA 3 on behalf of her brother, Hall’s husband and the rest of the family. They said Hall was killed just about 10 minutes from her home as she drove to pick up her children from an after-school program. “It’s still unbelievable,” Walton said. “We’re trying to support my brother and his kids as best we can, but it’s an absolute tragedy.” Vereschagin added, “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to our family, our whole life. It’s horrible.” Both Walton and Vereschagin described Hall as kind, loving and patient. They said their brother was an Army veteran and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which Hall helped him process. “He was in a very dark place because of all the things he’s been through and experienced, and Janelle brought him out of that. She’s the kind of person that shows joy in life,” Walton said. The family said that in addition to grief, they are also angry that this happened to someone they love so much. “I’m frustrated. Like, what are you doing? What were you even thinking? Our sister didn’t do anything,” Vereschagin said. “Why on earth are you driving so fast in the other lane? So the more you think about it, the more anger she’s going to have now.” Her loved ones said they want all drivers to be more considerate on the road and stop speeding. “It was so preventable. She didn’t have to die,” Walton said. “Our society thinks you always have to be in a hurry and rushing everywhere, you have to drive in front of the guy who’s obeying the speed limit because it’s annoying to be behind a slow driver and if you do that, you lose your life. People need to slow down and think about who’s in the other car.” As they push for change, the family said they will hold on to their memories of Hall. The family is holding on to their memories of Hall now. They said Hall was very involved in her children’s school and was also always helping stray animals. “We loved her. We loved her very much,” Vereschagin said. The family has also set up a GoFundMe page. CHP identified the three people in the pickup as 56-year-old Michael Keith of Stockton, 66-year-old Donna Yarnal of Modesto and 65-year-old Cindi Schuchterman of Salida. CHP said it is currently unclear if alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash and the investigation is ongoing. Read more coverage of California’s top news here | Download our app.

TUOLUMNE COUNTY, California —

The family of 33-year-old Janelle Hall expressed heartbreak and anger over the head-on collision in Tuolumne County last week that left four people dead, including Hall.

The California Highway Patrol said that just after 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31, the driver of a pickup truck traveling north on Bonds Flat Road crossed the yellow center line at more than 100 mph to pass another vehicle. As he approached La Grange Road, the driver collided head-on with Hall’s Toyota Highlander, according to the CHP. There were three people in the pickup truck. All four people involved in the crash died at the scene.

Hall’s sisters-in-law Romy Walton and Erin Vereschagin spoke to KCRA 3 on behalf of their brother, Hall’s husband and the rest of the family. They said Hall was killed just about 10 minutes from her home as she drove to pick up her children from an after-school program.

“It’s still unbelievable,” Walton said. “We’re trying to support my brother and his children as best we can, but it’s an absolute tragedy.”

Vereschagin added: “This is the worst thing that has ever happened to our family, to our whole life. It is terrible.”

Both Walton and Vereschagin described Hall as kind, loving and patient. They said their brother was an Army veteran and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which Hall helped him cope with.

“He was in a very dark place because of all the things he had been through and experienced, and Janelle brought him out of that. She is the type of person who shows joy in life,” Walton said.

The family said that in addition to grief, they also feel anger that this happened to someone they loved so much.

“I’m frustrated. What are you doing? What were you thinking? Our sister didn’t do anything,” Vereschagin said. “Why on earth are you driving so fast in the other lane? The more you think about it, the angrier you get.”

Her relatives said they wanted all drivers on the road to be more considerate and not drive too fast.

“It was so preventable. She didn’t have to die,” Walton said. “Our society thinks you have to be in a hurry all the time, rushing everywhere, you have to be in front of the guy who’s doing the speed limit because whatever, it’s annoying to be behind a slow driver and if you do that, she loses her life. People need to slow down and think about who’s in the other car.”

As they push for change, family members will hold on to memories of Hall, the family said.

The family now cherishes their memories of Hall. They said Hall was very involved in her children’s school and was also always helping stray animals.

“We loved her. We loved her very much,” Vereschagin said.

The family has also set up a GoFundMe campaign.

CHP identified the three people in the pickup truck as 56-year-old Michael Keith of Stockton, 66-year-old Donna Yarnal of Modesto and 65-year-old Cindi Schuchterman of Salida.

CHP said it is currently unclear if alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash and the investigation is ongoing.

You can find more reports on the most important topics from California here | Download our app.

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