Friends remember Turlock woman killed in Merced County crash
MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tragic new details have been revealed in a deadly Merced crash.
Action News has learned Heather Hines was the driver killed, and it happened on the night of her 41st birthday.
"She will be missed more than she'll ever know," said James Bullock.
Bullock held back tears as he mourned the sudden loss of his friend.
Tuesday morning, friends gathered at the crash site, grasping at whatever they could to keep Heather's memory alive.
"She always ate sunflower seeds, so I have a bag of sunflower seeds that was just laying right there," Bullock said.
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He tells us he'd known Heather since they were 16 years old.
He and his girlfriend, Samantha Chamberlain, were supposed to celebrate Heather's birthday with her.
"She didn't quite have a cake yet, so I got some birthday cake truffles," Chamberlain said, as she dug the bag of truffles out from the canal.
From the debris, Bullock carefully dug out Heather's sunglasses.
"Brings a lot of memories and tears because the aviator sunglasses, I'd take hers, she'd take mine," he said.
Heather can be seen wearing them in photos of the three friends smiling during a trip to Las Vegas.
Chamberlain spoke to the life Heather led.
"She was a deep lover, she loved everybody. And everybody loved her deeply as well," she said.
What was meant to be another night of celebration is now forever marked by tragedy.
Heather Hines leaves behind two daughters.
