SAN DIEGO, CA — An emergency room nurse from Temecula and a U.S. Marine veteran were killed on the 15 Freeway after they stopped to help people hurt in an earlier crash. Both were struck while rendering aid in San Diego County, according to authorities.
The victims were identified as Nereida “Nery” Benitez, 40, and Gary “Chad” Tillman, 54. First responders pronounced both dead at the scene.
Authorities say an alleged DUI driver caused the earlier wreck near SR-76
California Highway Patrol said the chain of events began around 4 a.m. on June 11 while northbound traffic was moving near SR-76. Officers said an alleged impaired driver rear-ended another vehicle, sending it into the freeway center divider.
Benitez was heading home after an emergency room shift at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego. Tillman was making a delivery for the sand and gravel company where he worked when both stopped to help.
Benitez was preparing for Air Force service and a trauma nursing career
Friends and family remembered Benitez as a mother, hiker and nurse who had just completed her enlistment to join the U.S. Air Force. She planned to become a trauma nurse, and loved ones said she was excited and nervous about the next step.
Her husband, Emilio Hernandez, said Benitez had just marked their 14th wedding anniversary in Yosemite and believed she would have helped anyone in need, even knowing a driver might have been intoxicated.
Tillman was a former Marine drill sergeant and longtime helper
Tillman, of Fallbrook, had spent 12 years as a drill sergeant in the Marines before later working as a trucker. Friends said he was a devoted San Diego Padres fan and someone who acted quickly when others needed help.
According to police, 21-year-old Jake Lopez Lawrence was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. He has since posted bail and is scheduled for arraignment Thursday.
Memorial plans and community support follow the freeway deaths
Benitez’s family planned a memorial in Murrieta on Thursday. A GoFundMe page for Tillman’s family was also circulating under the name “In Loving Memory of Chad Tillman.”
For those who knew them, the deaths underscored the risks faced by people who stop to help at roadside crashes, especially in the early morning hours on busy Southern California freeways.
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