By Leslie Griffy Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose firefighters who tried to save the 6-year-old boy killed with his mother as they crossed a street Sunday night are still fighting with their emotions about the crash.
The department offered firefighters counseling to help deal with their grief after they worked in vain to save Angel Hernandez-Araujo and his 43-year-old mother, Dalila "Sonia" Araujo.
Firefighters with children were advised to call home to say hello even if it was past bedtime.
When he got off duty, Battalion Chief Juan Diaz said he gave his kids a hug.
"It's difficult but we are professional," said Diaz, who is among the firefighters who are donating money to help Angel's family.
When witnesses reported that they saw a car smash into a woman on 4th Street at around 8:30 p.m., they didn't mention the little boy, Diaz said.
Firefighters worked for about 10 minutes to save the boy's mother when a neighbor approached them. He told them he thought there was a boy trapped under a car about 20 feet away from where a silver PT Cruiser stopped after striking Araujo, Diaz said.
Running over to the car, a mid-sized four-door sedan, Diaz said he saw Angel trapped under the car.
Normally fire crews use air bags that can lift thousands of pounds to hoist cars off people trapped underneath. But there was no time to do that.
Diaz and four other firefighters lifted the car up.
But Angel was already dead.
The boy and his mother, crossing 4th Street to return home after a neighborhood party. The driver of the PT Cruiser that slammed into them was arrested in charges unrelated to the crash, which is still under investigation.
Diaz said he went back to the neighbor to ask why he didn't tell emergency crews about the boy sooner and the man told him that he was in shock after witnessing the crash.
"It was a very emotional call," he said. "It was very dramatic for firefighters to see a child under the car."
As part of the healing process, firefighters who went to the scene of the crash have donated to a fund to help the family, Diaz said.
To give send checks to San Jose Credit Union, 140 Asbury St., San Jose, CA, 95110. Make checks out to the Hernandez Memorial Fund.
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