Victims in Santa Monica crash are cross-section of community

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Lynne Ann Weaver, who married into a celebrity family, liked to go to the farmers market with co-workers to buy produce for her husband to cook.

Gloria Olivera Gonzalez, a struggling immigrant from Mexico, cleaned an office to make extra money before going for vegetables to serve her children for dinner.

Weaver and Olivera Gonzalez were among those killed Wednesday when a car driven by an 86-year-old man smashed through Santa Monica's eclectic farmers market, striking more than 50 people from virtually all walks of life in the oceanside community.

The death toll rose to 10 Thursday when 7 1/2-month-old Brendon Esfahani died. He and a 3-year-old girl were the youngest victims; the oldest was 78.

Twenty people remained hospitalized Thursday, with five in critical condition.

Market tradition

The tragedy devastated Santa Monica, where rich and poor are drawn to the vibrant street life and sweeping beaches. The market, a twice-weekly tradition that attracts celebrity chefs and homemakers alike, is known throughout Southern California.

It's held in a neighborhood of hipster boutiques and trendy restaurants where retirees and yuppies with baby carriages stroll past street musicians, Hare Krishnas and homeless people asking for change.

Police were deciding Thursday whether to charge Russell Weller, the driver of the 1992 Buick LeSabre involved in the crash.

Police say Weller told them he didn't realize until too late that the street crammed with pedestrians and produce was closed. He said he might have hit the gas instead of the brake as he tried to avoid the crowd.

Police chief James T. Butts Jr. said officers who searched Weller's home found evidence indicating he had recently run into the back of his garage at least twice.

A friend of Weller's, Chuck Morrell, told KABC-TV of Los Angeles that the elderly man had crashed the Buick about 10 years ago. The vehicle had ended up on top of a 3-foot-high retaining wall at Weller's home, Morrell said.

Weller's attorney, Jim Bianco, has said Wednesday's crash was a tragic accident and that Weller's thoughts were with the victims.

Olivera Gonzalez had come to the United States from Mexico 15 years ago and struggled to support her family, said her sister-in-law Maria Martinez.

"When we came in and we didn't have a place to stay, we didn't have dishes in the kitchen, she was the one who said, 'Go to the beach and pick up cans, and we'll make our way up,'" Martinez said.

Olivera Gonzalez lived in the Venice area of Los Angeles with her husband, a 9-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. "Her dream in life was to give her family the best," she said.

Along with Brendon, Olivera Gonzalez and Weaver, those killed were Cindy Palacios Valladeres, 3, of Los Angeles; Molok Ghoulian, 62, of Los Angeles; Movsha Hoffman, 78, of Santa Monica; Leroy Lattier, 55, no city given; Kevin McCarthy, 50; and his wife, Diana Y. McCarthy, 41, of Los Angeles. The name of one victim -- a 50-year-old woman -- was withheld pending notification of relatives.

Cleaning up the scene

On Thursday morning, cleanup crews scooped up crushed fruit and crumpled flowers left from the crash.

People left notes and flowers for the victims, including four women who left flowers with a picture and card reading, "Lynne Weaver, beloved wife, mother."

Bonnie Reiss said she worked with Weaver at a nonprofit group called Afterschool All-Stars, which has an office near the market. Reiss said she often went there to shop with Weaver and other co-workers.

Reiss described Weaver, 47, of Woodland Hills, as a volunteer who worked with groups that support women. Weaver is survived by her husband, Robby, and a teenage daughter, Reiss said. Weaver is the daughter-in-law of actor Dennis Weaver, who starred in the television series "McCloud" and "Gunsmoke."

"Fortunately, they're a very spiritual family, so they believe that Lynne is with the angels," Reiss said.

The McCarthys had moved to Los Angeles from New York eight months ago, and Diana McCarthy had taken a job as a concierge at the Skirball Cultural Center. Her husband was a film producer, and she had also produced films, worked as an interior designer, and sung in her church choir in New York.

"They were just starting a new life," said Lori Starr, senior vice president of the center. "She was just one of these renaissance women ... one of those people who was deeply engaged in her field, her community, her church, and all things cultural."

Lauren Rau, 18, went to the crash scene to drop off a small bouquet of flowers with her mother, Pam. She went to the same church as Weller and said people should have sympathy for him as well as the victims. She said he would never intentionally harm anyone.

Pam Rau, 48, said Weller was probably too old to be behind the wheel.

"I think he just got confused," she said.

Fay Cohen, 42, sat at a coffee shop near the crash scene and wept as she recalled the tragedy.

"I saw three people killed before my eyes and I couldn't do anything for them," Cohen said. "I saw this man, he was bleeding and his eyes were opening and closing. I was trying to help him but I couldn't.

"I came back here because it wasn't finished for me. I don't think I ever will heal from this."

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Associated Press writers Nada El Sawy and Daisy Nguyen contributed to this story.