Accident That Killed 2 Sisters Was Preventable, Critics Say
PORTERVILLE, Calif. — Family and friends of two sisters buried alive in a 20-foot-deep sand pit Wednesday said the accident could have been prevented.
A section of the fence around the property was damaged after a car accident, and that allowed children at a nearby school to use the cemetery property as a shortcut home, Principal Lorenzo Cruz said.
“When somebody hit that fence and knocked it down, they should’ve fixed it right there and then,” said Tina Freeman, whose daughter was a friend of a girl who died in the accident. “There’s a school right across the street. People should be more responsible.”
Sisters Andrea Cavazos, 12, and Alyssa Ortiz, 9, were killed after they tried to retrieve a basketball in the pit. A third girl, Miranda Hernandez, 11, was listed in stable condition Friday.
On Thursday, work crews cut down the banks of the sand pile at the 21-year-old pit, owned by Porterville Cemeteries District. The cemetery uses the 150-foot-wide pit to store excess soil.
Cemetery board member Darrell Taylor said the cemetery is cooperating with the investigation.
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