SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — One of the victims killed in the deadly Greyhound bus crash in San Jose Tuesday morning has been identified as a San Francisco resident.
A family member of one crash victim confirmed to KRON that Sely Olivera, 51, of San Francisco, died at the scene.
Olivera, who moved to the Bay Area from the Philippines late last year, was traveling from Los Angeles after visiting her two other sons, according to Olim Alizhanov, Olivera’s son’s friend and roommate.
“She was like a mom to me,” Alizhanov said.
Olivera’s son Antonio told KRON that he and his mom were text messaging each other at about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning to coordinate a pick-up time. It would be the last time he heard from her.
“I asked them if I could see my mother today,” Antonio said. “They said I have to wait until tomorrow, which is probably-it’s painful…hurtful. You know, I always tell her I want her to explore…I want her (to think) that there are other places other than the Philipines. I want her to experience what I’ve experienced. I always tell her good things about the United States.”
“I don’t have any, you know, hate towards the driver. It’s an accident. No one wanted it to happen,” Antonio added.
Since November, she has been sharing an apartment with one of her sons in a Richmond District apartment.
Antonio said she came to the United States a few months ago to be with three of her four children. He also said she had taken the bus down there before, but he would usually drive her if his schedule allowed it.
Alizhanov also said that Olivera also has a daughter in the Philippines.
The 51-year-old woman is described as dedicated to her children, who loved to cook for her family.
All of her sons are planning to drive to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s office on Wednesday, the earliest they will be able to see their mother’s body.
One other person was killed, and 18 were injured when the Greyhound bus overturned on U.S. Highway 101 in South San Jose Tuesday morning, according to fire officials.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, California Highway Patrol officials said that the driver told officers he was fatigued but there’s no evidence he fell asleep at the wheel.