Family of 4 dies in tragic Pleasanton crash on Foothill Road
A horrific single-vehicle crash in Pleasanton Wednesday evening tragically killed a family of four, authorities said Thursday.
Pleasanton police said the crash happened at around 9 p.m. on Foothill Road between Stoneridge Drive and W. Las Positas Boulevard on the western edge of the city.
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An alert from the Police Department Wednesday evening said Foothill Road was closed in both directions at Moller Ranch Road near the crash. The roadway was still blocked in both directions through Thursday morning.
On Thursday afternoon, police confirmed that four people had died in the crash, a mother, father and two children under age 15. Their names were not released.. Authorities said the investigation was ongoing and further details would be released as they became available.
"For now, our priority is protecting the victims' identities as we notify family and complete our investigation," said police in a press statement.
During a press conference later Thursday, Pleasanton Unified School District Director of Communications Patrick Gannon confirmed that counseling and support services were being made available to students, families and staff in the wake of the crash, stating that it was an "entire family" that died in the incident.
"We're aware that any loss of life, especially when it involves an entire family, has an impact on students, staff and parents and guardians," said Gannon. "Whenever anything like that happens, we want our students and families and staff to know that there are supports available to them."
Gannon said that the mood among students at the district's schools was "somber."
"Whenever anything like this happens and it impacts an entire family, it's tragic," he said.
Early Thursday evening, friends and colleagues came to the site of the crash to pay their respects.
"As a neighbor who has known her, known both of them and their kids, I just wanted to come and see and take a moment of silence here," said one woman.
"It's very shocking, you know? He was a very nice person; always energetic and it was always a pleasure to work with him and talk to him," said a man at the crash site. "We used to have a lot of conversations. So it's really sad and tragic to kind of see this and hear this."
On Friday, police announced that speed may have played a factor in the deadly accident.
The Alameda County coroner's bureau on Monday confirmed to CBS New Bay Area that the father killed in the crash was 41-year-old Tarun Cherukara George, and the two male children were Rowan George, 13, and Aaron George, 9.
Foothill Road in Pleasanton has seen a number of fatal crashes in recent years, including a Christmas night crash in 2017 that killed twin teenage brothers and their friend. In 2013, a teenager speeding on the road crashed into two bicyclists, killing a 58-year-old woman and injuring her husband. Other fatal crashes occurred in 2005 and 2007.
Foothill Road runs north to south from Interstate 580 to Sunol and is mostly a two-lane road lined by trees and often without a center median. Posted speed limits are 45 or 40 mph and 25 mph when children are present.