Bus Crash Victims Identified

A total of five students, three chaperones and both the bus driver and truck driver died in the crash, authorities said

The victims of a fiery bus crash that left 10 dead on a Northern California highway Thursday have been identified.

Michael Myvette, 25-year-old Mattison Haywood, 18-year-old Adrian Castro, 26-year-old Arthur Arzola, 17-year-old Marisa Serrato, Denise Gomez, Ismael Jimenez , Jennifer Bonilla, bus driver Talalelei Taiao and  FedEx driver Tim Evans were among those killed when the bus collided head-on with the delivery truck on Interstate 5 in Orland, Calif., on Thursday evening.

The bus was carrying Los Angeles area students on their way to a college tour at Humboldt State University. The drivers of both the bus and the FedEx truck were killed in the wreck, but their identities have not been released.

Tim Evans: "He was my best friend, my teammate, my rock, my partner in crime, my everything," his wife Candice wrote on Facebook. "He was my saving grace. He saved me from myself. He believed in me when I couldn't and never ever let me fail."

Talalelei Taiao: 

Taiao 53, was driving the tour bus that was struck head-on by a delivery truck. She is survived by two children and one grandson, a relative said.

"She just gave, that's how we know Tala," said family friend Temukisa Faalua. "She was always a giving person. We never know what God has planned for us. We never knew that Tala was (going to) leave this way."

Jennifer Bonilla: 

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy confirmed Saturday that Dorsey High School student Jennifer Bonilla died in the wreck. 

Bonilla's mother notified Dorsey High's principal that Bonilla was on the bus that crashed and was killed.

A crisis center will open to students on campus Monday at 9 a.m.

Ismael Jimenez:

Evelin Jimenez, the sister of Ismael Jimenez, confirmed to NBC4 on Saturday that her brother was killed in the wreck. 

Denise Gomez:

Extended family members confirmed to NBC4 that Animo Inglewood Charter School student Denise Gomez was killed in the wreck. Gomez and Ismael Jimenez, who also died in the crash, were sitting together at the time of the collision.

Adrian Castro:

Friends of Castro, a football player at El Monte Union High School, say the teen was going to be the first in his family to go to college.

"I just felt like I lost a brother, I lost a family member. It hurt real bad," said classmate Nathaniel Medina, who was on the football team with Castro. “He was telling me he hasn't decided what college to go to and then, um, he was telling me he was really excited because he was going to college."

Marisa Serrato:

Serrato, whose twin sister Marisol was also on the trip but rode a different bus, was a senior at Norte Vista High School. Serrato's mother confirmed on Friday that Marisa is among the dead.

Since the crash, the girls' mother struggled to get a hold of Marisa and said she was desperate for information about what happened to her. The family became even more worried when officials called asking for dental records that would be used to possibly identify a victim.

Michael Myvette and Mattison Haywood:

Myvett and Haywood were a recently engaged couple who were chaperoning the students on the trip. Haywood was a high school and college basketball player who planned to become a doctor. Myvett worked with autistic children.

The two were described as very sweet people whose fairytale romance was "like a movie."

"Had only one of them survived, the other would be an absolute wreck because they were two peas in a pod," Mattison's father John Haywood said.

Arthur Arzol:

Arzola, a college admissions counselor, was recruiting for the university in the LA area. He married his high school sweetheart in 2012.

"He had the biggest smile. He was always really charismatic," friend Ryan Garcia said.

A total of five students, three chaperones and both the bus driver and truck driver died in the crash, authorities said. Nine people died at the scene. Arzola died at the hospital.

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