New details emerge about crash on Foothill Road that killed Pleasanton family

A Pleasanton family of four died Wednesday night after their vehicle crashed into a large oak tree along Foothill Road, according to the latest update from city police on Friday afternoon. 

The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau confirmed the identities of three of the victims on Sunday afternoon: father Tarun Cherukara George, 41, and children Rowan George, 13, and Aaron George, 9. Coroner’s investigators were still working to positively confirm the identity of the fourth victim due to the condition of the body, but Pleasanton authorities said she was the wife/mother of the family. 

“The city of Pleasanton offers its deepest condolences to everyone affected by this heartbreaking loss,” Pleasanton police Capt. Larry Cox said in a press release Friday. “We understand that this tragedy deeply impacts the victims’ families, first responders, and our entire community, and encourage those affected to seek support through available resources.”

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 9 p.m. Wednesday (April 24) on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive, according to Cox. The circumstances remain under investigation, but police think speed may have been a factor that night. 

“The vehicle appears to have lost control and collided with a large oak tree,” Cox stated. “Despite efforts to render aid to one of the children, all four individuals died at the scene.”

Hart Middle School principal Caroline Fields stated in an email to the community on Thursday that the two children were Pleasanton Unified School District students — one attended Hart and the other Donlon Elementary School. 

PUSD officials echoed similar sentiments about seeking support through available resources. Fields stated in her email that social workers, substitutes and additional resources and support were deployed to Hart to “help students and staff make it through the day and navigate this tragic situation.”

The district also created a document, “How to Support Your Grieving Student”, which aims to help people navigate tragic loss conversations with students, PUSD director of communications Patrick Gannon told the Weekly. PUSD also compiled a list of grief resources and offers a 24/7 online resource to help people find local mental health-related programs and counseling services.

Gannon said this service is available for students, family members and staff. Social workers and counselors can help connect folks with these resources or it can be done anonymously by calling or texting 888-515-0595.

This marked the second time in April that a Tri-Valley community was rocked by losing four members of a local family to a deadly crash. The father, mother and two children from the Negrete Guerrero family in Livermore were killed in a solo wreck on a highway in Manteca on the night of April 13; the other three of the young siblings survived that crash with moderate to major injuries.