Two children were struck and killed by a car in California while attempting to retrieve luggage that had fallen from their vehicle. 

The children’s mother, Sandra Ortiz, 33, has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The accident occurred on the Route 78 Freeway in Vista, near San Diego, around 6 pm on Sunday, June 18, according to local news outlets. The victims were a 16-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. 

Miguel Aguilar, Ortiz’s partner of 13 years standing, told a news outlet that there were four other children in the car at the time in addition to the two victims, Amy Monserrat Beltran and Alan Gerardo Aguilar. He also related that the family was homeless and had been staying in hotels, but for the past week eight of them had been living in their car.

The incident unfolded when Ortiz, driving a green GMC Yukon SUV, pulled onto the right shoulder of the freeway. Her children exited the vehicle to collect a suitcase that had fallen from their car. While doing so, they were hit by a white Nissan Sentra.

The driver of the Nissan, a 41-year-old woman who has not been charged, remained at the scene until authorities arrived. However, the children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Ortiz, who remained in the car while her children ran onto the highway, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence (DUI), gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and child endangerment.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.