Tragedy Strikes Another Menifee Family On Summer Vacation

MENIFEE, CA — Shortly after 11 a.m. July 14, the Culver family of Menifee was in the small town of Cokeville, Wyoming.

The four — Eric and Aulaiwon Culver and their two kids, Logan and Lily — were just passing through in their vehicle when they encountered a closed portion of their route along Highway 30. Like other motorists that day, the Culvers tried to skirt the shutdown.

It was a fateful decision.

"Several individuals decided to bypass a temporary road closure and detour on the [Union Pacific] railroad right-of-way," Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Captain Brian Andrews told a local news outlet. "During the course of one vehicle’s detour, their vehicle was struck by a north-moving train while attempting to cross the tracks from the west side to the east."

It was the Culver family. Aulaiwon, 47, and their daughter, Lily, 12, were pronounced dead at the scene. Eric, 50, and their son Logan, 15, were taken to the Cokeville Airport where they were life-flighted to Utah, one to Ogden and the other to Salt Lake City, according to the news outlet.

A GoFundMe page was established to help pay for funerals, medical bills and provide benefits for Logan. As of noon July 30, the page had raised nearly $75,000.

The page shows the family was very well-loved, with many in the community grieving.

Sadly, just two days before the Culver accident, another tragedy struck a Menifee family during a summer road trip. Three young girls and their mother, along with two friends, were killed in a July 12 vehicle crash on Interstate 10 while returning to Riverside County.

The sisters were identified as Olivia Grace Perez, 12, Emalynn Marie Perez, 11, and Giana Rose Perez, 8. Their mother, Karly, along with longtime friend Heather Ventura and her young son Lucas Tejada, were also in the vehicle and died in the crash, according to media reports.

The Perez family were identified as Menifee residents, though the girls had attended school in the Beaumont Unified School District.

According to reports, the fatal crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. July 12 on I-10 in Quartzsite, Ariz., near Ramsey Mine Road. The Perezs, Ventura and her son died after their vehicle was rear-ended by a utility truck carrying an asphalt load. The group was returning home following a road trip to Texas.

"Our family is shattered by this heartbreaking event, and we are struggling to cope with the emotional and financial aftermath," according to a GoFundMe post penned by a man who identified as Karly's brother.

As of noon July 30, the site had raised more than $11,000.

Another GoFundMe post established by a man identifying as a co-worker and friend of the girls' father wrote, "To all - let's all come together and help our fellow friend/coworker Vicente going thru an extremely difficult time, his 3 beautiful daughters and ex wife have sadly passed away in a tragic accident ... . Please keep our friend, his family and all affected in your thoughts and prayers."

The site had raised more than $34,000 as of July 30.