Gustine High football player takes the field after daughter, grandparents killed in crash

GUSTINE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A small community rallied around their own Friday night after a tragic crash in Merced County last week.

On Friday night, Gustine High senior Zander Leyva walked the field arm in arm with loved ones.

Not in attendance were his grandparents, Nicholas and Maria Leyva, and his infant daughter, Celeste.

The three were killed in a head-on crash involving a suspected DUI driver last Friday in the area of Highway 140 and Kniebes Road.

The California Highway Patrol says 40-year-old Robert Pimentel crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and crashed into the Leyva family's vehicle.

Four others in their SUV were injured including the baby's mother.

Family members say Nicholas and Maria were pillars of the community and they never missed a Gustine High School football game.

The bleachers where the couple always sat for games were sectioned off for Friday's game.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Leyva family.