Red Top Jerseys in El Nido, Calif., is like every dairy farm across the country. In order for the family dairy to operate 365 days a year, it requires a team of a dedicated staff. On Valentine’s Day, Red Top Jerseys dairy team suffered an enormous loss, as the dairy lost three of its long-term employees in a tragic car accident.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the fatal crash occurred in a multi-vehicle and rollover collision near Los Banos in Merced County.
A Toyota Tacoma was reportedly traveling west on the highway, and beside it was a Toyota Highlander. On the eastbound lane was a Mercedes driven by a Long Beach resident that veered across the highway’s dirt median after the driver lost control of the car.
The Mercedes overturned on top of the Tacoma, scattering parts of both cars onto the highway. Its driver was airlifted to a nearby hospital after sustaining severe injuries. The Highlander’s occupants were reportedly unharmed.
Inside the Tacoma were three people and all of them were declared dead on the scene.
Those three people were all employed by Red Top Jerseys. Brent Wickstrom, who’s family is partners in Red Top Jerseys and also owns Wickstrom Jerseys in Hilmar, said, “All three of the employees were long-time employees at the dairy and truly part of the family. If you knew them, you know how special and irreplaceable they were.”
The three employees included two brothers Roberto (Pablo) Romo and Jaime Romo, along with Javier Sandoval.
Pablo was the foreman of Red Top Jerseys for the last 15 years and according to Chris Terra, the manager of Red Top Jerseys, was like a brother to Chris and others at the dairy.
“He was a great man that had a great sense of humor. He loved cows, he loved his family, and he loved his job,” Terra says.
Pablo was 38-years-old and leaves behind an expecting widow, a teenage daughter, along with a son and daughter, both under 11-years-old.
Javier Sandoval was Red Top Jerseys mechanic for the past 11 years. Terra says he was one of his best friends and also like a brother to him.
“He was one of the smartest men and mechanically inclined people I’ve ever known. He could fix anything,” he says. “He loved hunting, fishing, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. What an amazing person.”
Javier was 31-years-old.
Jaime Romo was one of Red Top’s lead people on the farm crew where he’s been for 16 years.
Jaime was known for his smiles and upbeat personality.
“He was always smiling, positive, and a great person to be around,” Terra says. “He loved his family and he loved his brothers.”
Jaime was 41-years-old and leaves behind a widow, a young adult son, and three children under the age of 14.
“Words can’t describe the pain and suffering to lose all three of these great young men all at once in the blink of an eye,” Terra says.
As any dairy can imagine, a loss of this magnitude is hard to recover from. The grief felt at Red Top Jerseys is huge. When working closely together, employees become like family. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the families. According to Terra these men provided the primary income for their families.
“This fundraiser will go directly towards helping these families pay their bills and put food on their children’s tables,” he says.
Fundraiser by Chris Terra : 3 Families Need Our Help (gofundme.com)
