Hanford family mourns 4 loved ones killed in crash days before Christmas

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Christmas will look a lot different for a Hanford family this year after they lost four family members in a car crash just days before the holiday.

Jason McClelland said his sister, Jennifer Lourenco, brother-in-law, and two of their kids were killed in a crash in Turlock.

Their oldest daughter is still unconscious in the hospital.

Jason and Jennifer grew up in Hanford and their parents still live there.

He says normally, Jennifer would host Christmas, but this year they're planning her funeral.

Jason says his younger sister always knew she wanted to be a teacher and a mother.

"As I was talking with my cousins as we're going through this," said Jason.

"We just sort of reminisce that when we were kids we would get annoyed with her sometimes because she she always wanted to be the mom. She always wanted to be the teacher. When we like play work. She's like, Oh, I have to leave early to go pick up my kids, you know, like her imaginary kids."

After Jennifer graduated high school, the Hanford native moved to Turlock to attend Stanislaus State and studied to become a special ed teacher.

Jason said Jennifer worked tirelessly to take care of her students.

Jennifer married Daniel and they had three kids, Emma, Madelynn, and Matthew.

The five of them were on their way to church the morning of December 15th when another car crashed into them on Highway 165 in Turlock.

Jennifer, Daniel, and 16-year-old Madelynn died that day.

14-year-old Matthew died five days later at the hospital.

18-year-old Emma is still in the hospital.

"We think she's through the hardest part and so now the the next steps are really trying to understand what long term recovery is, and I can't imagine what she's going to wake up to right, realizing that her family's gone," said Jason.

The driver of the other car, 22-year-old Uriel Negrete, also died in the crash.

"I don't know how you wrap your head around that. You know the the sort of mix of emotions, of of anger and frustration, but also just empathy and sorrow that there's, you know, another family that's out there grieving," said Jason.

Since Jennifer's death, Jason said countless people have reached out to tell him about his sister's impact on their kids including the first CHP officer on the scene of the crash and a nurse at the hospital where the family was taken.

"Like even the woman who sold them their house like 10 years ago, found me on Facebook and said, Oh, I love that family," said Jason. "They're such a beautiful family and so it's been amazing like they remember each other."

Jason said in the 25 years he has known his brother-in-law, Daniel, he never once heard him say anything negative.

His nephew Matthew, was a freshman in high school and had just started running cross country.

Madelynn, or Mady as they called her, was a junior and had just gotten her license.

Emma just recently graduated high school and is attending the same college her mother attended studying animal science.

If Jason could talk to his sister today, he says he would be sure to make it count.

"I would just love to give her a hug and tell her how much I love her, and how great it is that I think, the life that she had built is," said Jason.

The family has a GoFundMe set up for the four funerals they need to pay for and to help cover the costs of Emma's care because Jason says she has a long road to recovery.

A viewing and visitation will be held Thursday, December 26 from 6 pm to 8 pm at Turlock Memorial Park.

The mass and rosary service will be at 11 am Friday, December 27 at Our Lady of the Assumption in Turlock.

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