on Tuesday.
The Honda Civic hatchback then plowed into a tree, splitting in half before it struck another tree and a bus bench, according to police.
Two of the backseat passengers -- Castillo's 20-year-old daughter, Sonya Arroche, of Mountain View, and her four-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth Sandoval -- were killed in the accident, dead before police arrived on at the gruesome scene.
Castillo's two other grandchildren -- two-month-old Karla Sandoval Arroche and two-year-old Carlos Sandoval Arroche -- were both seriously injured and were recovering at a local hospital on Tuesday.
Castillo, 40, was knocked unconscious in the crash and doesn't remember what happened after the impact, but police say she had to be cut out of the car by fire personnel. She awoke in the hospital to the tragic news about her daughter and granddaughter.
On Tuesday she was at a friend's house, recovering from a broken hand with a cast on her right arm, a pained back and scratches across her lips and near her swollen left eye. "They were a happy family," Castillo said in Spanish, remembering her young granddaughter's energetic smile.
Police believe Ruiz, 26, of Mountain View, was driving drunk but "that hasn't been proven yet," Police Sergeant Mike Alexander said on Tuesday. "We don't have our blood tests back but we believe alcohol is involved. In fact, we believe it so much we're charging him."
Castillo remembers Ruiz had some drinks at the party but did not know how many. She said that if he was drunk, she was not aware of it.
Police have arrested Ruiz and charged him with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, one count of felony driving under the influence, one count of driving without a license, and three counts of child endangerment.
At the time of the accident -- which took place around 11 p.m. near the corner of El Camino Real and Mariposa Avenue -- none of the three young children in the backseat were restrained by car seats, Alexander noted.
Castillo said that the children rarely rode in cars, mostly walking or staying at home, so the family did not own car seats for them.
On Tuesday, Castillo's family and friends packed inside a living room of an Escuela Avenue apartment and began nine days of prayer, asking for the two victims to enter heaven.
Castillo made the sign of the cross as she sat and prayed for her daughter's and granddaughter's souls.
A trust fund has been established in the name of the surviving children at the Mountain View branch of the Bank of America. Donations can be mailed to:
Karla and Carlos Sandoval Arroche Trust Fund
PO Box 279
Mountain View, CA 94042
Or dropped off at:
Mountain View Police Dept
1000 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
Attn: Tony Lopez
E-mail Bill D'Agostino at bdagostino@mv-voice.com
