Dad Disabled Airbags Before Fatal Crash

"CASTAIC, CA — The theory that a Lancaster man deliberately killed himself and his two children by slamming his car into a parked truck on Interstate 5 was bolstered by the discovery of airbag sensors apparently removed from the vehicle, a homicide detective said Wednesday.

"Alan Dean Edwards, 46, and his two children—Erick Dean Edwards, 8, and Alona Marie Edwards, 5—were killed instantly early Monday when the car driven by Edwards rammed into a semi-truck and trailer parked legally off the I-5 north of Castaic, according to the county coroner.

"When asked Wednesday if the crash was a murder/suicide, sheriff’s homicide Lt. Eddie Hernandez replied, `It’s starting to look that way.`

"Detectives searched the Edwards home Tuesday and found two airbag sensors left in `a conspicuous place,` suggesting the devices that trigger the release of life-saving airbags had been deliberately removed from the 1997 Honda Accord Alan Edwards was driving.

"`It was kind of like a statement,` Hernandez said of the placement of the relay sensors.

"The crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m. Monday on the southbound side of the I-5 at the Whittaker Brake Check, an area where truckers can pull out of lanes to check their brakes before a five-mile downgrade.

"The Yuba City driver of a 2006 Freightliner and utility semi-trailer was parked legally in the brake check area and taking a nap when Edwards’ white Honda slammed into the back of his trailer, shearing off the top of the car. The truck driver was not injured.

"Investigators with both the CHP and the coroner’s department concluded the crash was deliberate and that Edwards purposely drove around obstacles in his path before the collision, Hernandez said Tuesday."

From signalscv.com...