LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In search of answers, a Las Vegas family relit candles at the intersection that was the scene of a fatal crash that police said killed a mother of four. While the alleged reckless driver, police connected to the investigation, walked out of jail.
Las Vegas police responded on Mar. 5 to a crash just before 9 a.m. at South University Center Drive and East Twain Avenue. According to police, video evidence showed a driver in a Chevrolet running a red light when a woman crossing the sidewalk was hit.
The woman, identified by family as Jessica Fodge, 31, was walking back home after dropping her children off at their school, according to family members who spoke with 8 News Now.
The driver, identified by police as Gerardo Jose Lopez, was arrested and previously faced charges of suspicion of impairment and reckless driving and was being held on a $250,000 bail. On Wednesday, the DUI charges against Lopez were dropped, and his bail was reduced to “stay out of trouble,” according to court records.
Devon Mayers reacted to the court records while standing with his four young children at the same intersection where his fiancé was struck.
“I feel like it’s wrong, and I feel like it shouldn’t be allowed,” Mayers said. “And I feel like they should be way more stricter on DUI drivers and people out here driving on the roads under the influence.”
Mayers said the children are forced to walk the same path their mother traveled on her way back from dropping them off at school, the trauma retriggered every school day.
“I’m in process of getting the car so I can stop them from walking and being on these streets out here,” he said. “Being out here, I’m scared. My kids are scared. Every time we hear a horn, or we see a car get too close to us, we jump. We’re hurt. We’re traumatized from this deeply.”
The problems have persisted, according to Mayers who has had difficulty gaining access to the LVMPD victim’s fund since he was not married, only engaged, to Fodge.
“I’ve been getting denied from a lot of assistance because I’m not next to kinfolk to her,” he said. “So helping with the GoFundMe is doing a lot.”
Mayers said the funds from the GoFundMe will go towards helping his four children, who he said are still recovering from losing their mother.
Fodge’s youngest daughter, who is still in kindergarten, leaned into her father and thanked her mother for keeping them safe every time they cross the same intersection.
“You always protect us from car accidents,” she said. “I love you so much, and I hope you have good sleep in heaven.”
