May 7, 2007 10:07 pm US/Pacific
Classmates Mourn Loss Of Mission Viejo Children
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (CBS) ―
Teachers at a Mission Viejo pre-school attended by a 5-year-old boy and his 4-year-old sister, who were killed along with their younger sibling in a freeway crash, tried on Monday to help the children's classmates deal with their loss.
The 16 children who attend pre-school on Mondays at the Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo drew pictures of Kyle Coble and expressed their feelings, said Marsha Cowper, director of the school.
One child drew a picture of his dog and bird, which had recently died, up in heaven with Kyle, Cowper said.
Kyle attended the school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, while his sister Emma did so on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Cowper said.
The youngsters and their 2-year-old sister Katie were killed Friday afternoon when the family minivan was rear-ended by a big rig on the San Diego (5) Freeway.
The children's mother, Lori Coble, 30, of Ladera Ranch, and maternal grandmother, Cynthia Maestri, 60, of Coto de Caza, were injured in the crash and remain hospitalized.
"Children don't respond (to death) the same as adults," Cowper said. "The children are not the ones suffering. They don't grasp the permanency of death. It's the parents who are having difficulty."
Services for the children are scheduled for Saturday at the church at 26051 Marguerite Parkway, Cowper said.
A chaplain at Mission Hospital and Regional Medical Center -- where the women were listed in fair condition -- has requested that no children attend the funeral services. Cowper said it would just be too painful for the family if children were on hand.
She said members of the media would also be excluded.
Lori Coble, a stay-at-home mom, most recently visited the school last Thursday, when she received a marigold planted in a decorated soup can and a card from her son, and strung beads and a card from her oldest daughter during a pre-Mother's Day "Mommie and Me Tea," Cowper said.
It was also Kyle's 5th birthday, she said.
"They were delightful children," Cowper said. "Not only were they beautiful, they had great personalities. When they walked in, they would hug and kiss your cheek."
Cowper said she called Kyle an "articulate man in a little boy's skin" because he was so able to express his feelings.
"I can't imagine when she (the mother) goes home from the hospital and there's no children there," Cowper said.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the accident was in its preliminary stages.
California Highway Patrol Lt. Sandra Houston told CBS2 that "the real bulk of this investigation really is going to begin tomorrow."
"We can say that he (the trucker) positively applied brakes," she said. "I just don't know when he applied the brakes."
On the day of the crash, CHP Officer Katrina Lundgren said alcohol, drugs, speed or inattention were not suspected of playing a role in the crash.
Jorge Miguel Romero, 37, of Apple Valley, had been hauling electronics in a truck owned by KW Express, a Carson-based freight company.
According to the CHP, Romero was going 55-60 mph and couldn't stop in time to avoid the Coble minivan.
Romero was cited in 2002 and 2006 for speeding in a tractor-trailer, the Orange County Register reported. He was ticketed for driving without his lights on 2005 and for driving with a suspended license in 1997.
The Register reported that KW has a driver safety score of 74, meaning that 74 percent of companies rank higher in driver safety. The score is not considered deficient, the newspaper reported.
Residents of the close-knit neighborhood, where the family was well-known, decorated trees on their street with pink and blue ribbons.
Donations for the family can be made at any Washington Mutual branch or mailed to Washington Mutual, 25692 Crown Valley Parkway, Suite J2, Ladera Ranch, 92694, marked attention James Maestri FBO Coble Family. The account number is 3951107470.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
