Friends and family are still shocked by the loss of Morgan Hill resident Jason McArthur, 34, who died in a traffic accident Aug. 30 after his vehicle was struck by a suspected drunken driver during the Labor Day weekend.
The accident also placed McArthur’s fiancée, Kendra Jones, 42 of Morgan Hill, in a San Jose hospital in critical condition with numerous “major injuries,” according to police. The couple had just become engaged to be married Aug. 22.
Friends of Jones’ family set up a fundraising account at gofundme.com to help with Jones’ medical expenses and care for her two youngest daughters, according to Jones’ son, Jesse Marshall. Jones remained in intensive care as of Sept. 3, but she is expected to make a “full physical recovery,” Marshall said.
When the accident happened, the couple were returning from the home of one of McArthur’s relatives, where they had been making wedding plans, Marshall said.
McArthur was a steadfast, loving and positive influence for Jones and her family, Marshall said. He was a mentor for her two youngest daughters—whom he considered his own children—helping them with school work and encouraging them to play sports.
“He stepped in and was the best thing that ever happened to my family,” Marshall said. “He was very involved in and insistent on my sisters’ productivity and school work. I don’t know what I would have done the last year without him. He was a huge support system.”
The driver who struck McArthur’s Jeep Wrangler in the accident is in custody at Santa Clara County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Steve Lowney.
Raymond Escudero, IV, 24 of San Martin, was arrested shortly after the accident by California Highway Patrol officers on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. His first court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 4 at South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill. As of the Times’ deadline Sept. 3, Lowney did not know what charges are pending against Escudero.
Police say McArthur was driving his Jeep northbound on Santa Teresa Boulevard, just south of Native Dancer Drive, when his vehicle was struck by an Acura driven by Escudero, also traveling north. Both vehicles lost control after the initial collision.
McArthur was pronounced dead at the scene. Jones, his passenger, was transported to the hospital.
Escudero was uninjured, and his passenger, a 23-year-old San Martin woman, was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, according to authorities.
The accident happened about 1 a.m. Aug. 30. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Jones suffered numerous fractured bones and internal injuries, Marshall said. She has endured three surgeries since the accident.
A photo on the newly created fundraising website shows a photograph of the smiling couple at the beach the day after McArthur proposed—“obviously on one of the happiest days…we have all had together,” said Jones’ daughter Britiny Marshall.
Under the photo is a message that reads in part, “We are asking for your help in donating to help the families with medical bills and general needs for Kendra’s two young daughters.”
As of Sept. 3, the page gofundme.com/dxsumw had raised more than $5,000 from 49 individual donations. The site has been shared extensively through social media since it went live earlier this week.
Labor Day is annually a busy weekend for traffic congestion, accidents and DUI related injuries and deaths. During the annual “Avoid the 13” summertime DUI crackdown from Aug. 15 to Sept. 1, law enforcement agencies throughout Santa Clara County arrested 302 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup.
“The enforcement was part of the national ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign to save lives and make our roads safer,” Stenderup said in a press release.
To make a donation to help support traffic accident victim Kendra Jones and her family, including her two youngest children, visit gofundme.com/dxsumw.
