The community is helping a Piru family mourning the loss of a father of four who died in a four-vehicle collision Friday in Val Verde.
Marco Marrufo, 38, was driving a 1999 Ford F-150 pickup truck west on Highway 126 where he struck a Ford F-350 that failed to yield leaving Chiquita Canyon Landfill around 5:30 p.m. when the collision occurred, according to Officer April Elliott of the California Highway Patrol.
He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to the coroner’s office report.
An effort created by family friend Miryam Alvarez circulating online was approaching $15,000 raised for the family as of Tuesday evening, according to GoFundMe officials who confirmed the account was verified.
“We have lost Marco Marrufo, a loving father, husband, son, brother, friend on Jan. 26, 2024, in a tragic car accident on his way home,” the page read. “Losing him leaves an unfathomable void in our hearts. In this challenging time, we are reaching out to the community, family, and friends for support. Our goal is to raise funds to cover the funeral cost and financial assistance for his wife and four kids.”
CHP officials said the crash was still under investigation and the information available was considered preliminary.
“It looks like the pickup truck was leaving Chiquita Canyon Landfill and failed to yield to a westbound vehicle that was traveling on (Highway 126),” Elliott said in a phone interview Tuesday. “After the two vehicles crashed, they continued into the eastbound lanes and two additional vehicles were involved in the crash.”
Fire officials confirmed that medical personnel responded to the crash, but it appeared that Marrufo was the only person injured.
A link to the family’s page can be found here: gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-marco-marrufo.
Service information had not yet been announced as of Tuesday evening.
The SCV has seen several collision-related fatalities in locations throughout the area since Nov. 1, not including the pedestrian-related fatalities,
A DUI crash on Bouquet Canyon Road the day after Halloween claimed the life of Orlando Gomez Sales, 39. A link to help his family is here: gofundme.com/f/orlando-gomez.
Also in Saugus, Cynthia Campana, 31, of Valencia, was killed in a fiery crash on San Francisquito Canyon on Nov. 27. A page to support Cynthia was set up here: gofundme.com/f/37i0qqvz7c.
On Dec. 24, a single-vehicle crash on Highway 14 resulted in the death of Emilio Carbajal Cruz. A GoFundMe page was set up to help his family: bit.ly/3vo0ckR.
SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies do not know what caused the fatal Jan. 4 single-vehicle crash in Valencia that killed Matthew Topete, 21, of Santa Clarita, but speed was listed as a factor. A GoFundMe link for the family has been set up here: gofundme.com/f/matthew-jacob-topete.
Ashley Fuson, 26, of Loma Linda, died in a single-vehicle crash Jan. 15 on Newhall Ranch Road that was described by officials as a vehicle-versus-embankment. A link to the GoFundMe for Fuson is here: gf.me/v/c/jwbr/ashley-fuson.