11-year-old died in accident Sunday
By: Jack Baney
A township family was expected to lay to rest this morning their 11-year-old who died in an early Sunday morning accident on the Garden State Parkway in Eaglewood Township that also injured his 18-year-old brother and two of his cousins.
Karl Delos Santos, a fifth-grader at Hillsborough Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6 a.m. Sunday, after the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder he was in struck trees on the median of the parkway, overturned, and caught fire, State Police said.
Killian Delos Santos, Karl’s brother and the driver, suffered head trauma and a fractured hip after the accident and initially was listed in critical condition.
Killian, a senior at Hillsborough High School, was listed in fair condition Wednesday afternoon at Atlantic City Medical Center.
Cousin Jeff Fuentes, 16, of Bergenfield, suffered head trauma and was listed in critical condition after the accident. He was taken to the Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden, where hospital officials withheld information about his condition at his family’s request.
Cousin Francis Etorma, 14, of Staten Island N.Y., suffered facial cuts and was in stable condition after the accident. He was treated at Southern Ocean County Hospital in Manahawkin and released on Sunday.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which occurred about 4:20 a.m., when the Nissan was traveling north on the parkway. State Police are investigating why the Nissan traveled onto the median.
No drugs or alcohol were found in the vehicle, said Sgt. Al DellaFore of the State Police. He did not know if the passengers had been wearing seat belts.
The four were returning home from a trip to Atlantic City and had called home from a rest stop at 3:09 a.m. to check in with the rest of the family, said Eddie Delos Santos, brother of Karl and Killian’s father, Jose Delos Santos.
He declined to comment on the purpose of their trip.
Eddie Delos Santos said the day before the accident, the family had celebrated the return of himself, Jose Delos Santos, their brother Jojo, and their wives from a vacation in the Philippines. The celebration also was for the 16th birthday of Karl and Killian’s sister, Kathleen, he said.
“Everyone was having a good time — laughing and looking at presents,” said Mr. Delos Santos. “We were very happy that night, and we ended up in a tragedy in the morning.”
Karl was born in Manila, Philippines, and lived in Edison before moving to Hillsborough in 1996. In addition to his father, brother, and sister, he is survived by his mother, Genevieve Rivera Delos Santos; his paternal grandmother, Naty Delos Santos of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and his maternal grandmother, Zenaida Rivera of Edison.
Funeral services for Karl are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. today at Mary Mother of God Church on South Triangle Road. The burial will be in St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia.
Eddie Delos Santos, who lived with Karl and Killian in the Philippines and Edison, said Karl was “like a son” to him. The boy was cheerful and enjoyed playing football and roller hockey, said Mr. Delos Santos.
“He loved the outdoor life,” he said. “There’s always a smile on his face.”
Edward Forsthoffer, principal of Hillsborough Elementary School, described Karl as a “vivacious, very energetic” and popular boy.
“He certainly had a large contingent of friends,” he said. “He was very happy and well-liked by his peers.”
Teachers at the elementary school discussed Karl’s death with their students Monday and two additional guidance counselors were brought to the school to speak with upset students, said Mr. Forsthoffer.
“They’re all very upset by it, but not so much that they’re not able to remain and have discussions about it,” he said.
Hillsborough High School observed a moment of silence Monday for students to think about or pray for Killian, whom school principal Anthony Radano described as a “happy-go-lucky, very positive, upbeat young man who’s always smiling.”
Killian has served as a guidance aide, a member of the principal advisory committee, and a peer mentor at the school, said high school guidance counselor Athea Williams. He plans to attend Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, N.H., and become a physician, she said.
“He’s really a godsend — that’s all I can say,” said Ms. Williams. “He always cares about everyone else and worries about everyone else.”
“This is just heartbreaking. I find it difficult to even talk about,” she added. “I just pray that God will give him the strength to work through all of this.”