A Limo Ride Turns Tragic For Bride and her Eight Friends

This is the time of year that limousine services are busy. They are picking up teenagers for the prom and brides for bridal showers. This is supposed to be a night to remember and too look back fondly. That was not the case for Neriza Fojas' and her eight friends. On April 5, 2013 they were in a 1999 Lincoln Town stretch limousine. They were heading west bound across the San Mateo Bridge when just after 10 p.m. the back of the limousine burst into flames. The driver Orville Brown of San Jose was alerted by one of the women sitting by the partition that they smelled smoke. The driver pulled over and saw that the limousine was on fire. He helped four women up front out, but by the time they were out the back of the limousine was engulfed in flames. There was nothing he could do. Emergency workers later found Neriza Fojas and four of her friends clustered under the 3-by-1 1/2-foot window. What is so sad, every one of the passenger were in their 30s and 40s and nurses all over California. Neriza Fojas’ the bride was a registered nurse at the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno California and from Monterey. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office identified the other four women that perished as Michelle Estrera, of Fresno, Anna Alcantara, Felomina Geronga and Jennifer Balon, of Alameda. The four women that survived this horrible ordeal are Mary Grace Guardiano of Alameda, Nelia Arrellano of Alameda, Jasmine Desguia of San Jose and Amalia Loyola of San Leandro. They are recovering at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto and Valley Medical Center in San Jose. The Limo Stop’s owner Kultar Singh of San Jose said, I'm very, very saddened" by the accident but did not commit further on what happened. The owner said he has owned Limo Stop for seven years and his license are up to date and valid. I want to know if Limo Stop had previous knowledge that this model and year had issues with fires. Sadly, we'll hear the facts about this tragedy in the days to come. I hope the survivors recover quickly and my prayers go out to the families who lost a love one.

LM

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Five-killed-in-limousine-fire-4489847.php

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57583318/coroner-releases-names-of-5-women-killed-in-calif-limo-fire/