ANAHEIM : Accident Tarnishes Vacation Memories

Robert Randolph and his family were filled with good memories Tuesday immediately after a trip to Disneyland. But those memories turned into nightmares minutes later.

In an interview Wednesday from his hospital bed at UCI Medical Center, Randolph recalled the sounds of screeching tires and the sight of smashed metal a day after he and his wife, stepdaughter and mother were run down by a four-wheel-drive truck while walking on a sidewalk after a day at the amusement park.

The family, which had flown from Northern California to visit Disneyland, was leaving the park en route to a hotel when the accident occurred about 6 p.m. A station wagon speeding west on Katella Avenue near Walnut Street struck the rear of a Ford Bronco, sending it out of control and into the path of the Randolphs.

Randolph said he heard “tires screech,” then “I got hit.”

“As soon as my wife saw the Bronco hit me and my mom, she grabbed Lindsey and ran,” Randolph said, referring to his 6-year-old stepdaughter, Lindsey Rinkles. “(But) they got hit anyway and were thrown over some bushes.”

Randolph’s injuries included several broken toes and a possible broken hand. His mother, Mary Carol Randolph, 58, of Sacramento, who initially was listed in critical condition, suffered a broken collarbone and ribs, and severe fractures to her ankles and foot, Randolph said. She was listed in fair condition Wednesday.

“They said that with luck I can possibly leave (the hospital) today,” said Randolph, a 33-year-old corrections officer at the state prison at Folsom.

Randolph’s wife, Terry Randolph, 32, and his stepdaughter, Lindsey, were walking behind him and his mother and suffered minor injuries. Both were treated and released from Western Medical Center in Anaheim.

The Bronco’s driver was Arthur Roberts, 34, of San Diego. Police said Roberts was traveling about 35 m.p.h. when he lost control of his vehicle after being struck from behind by a station wagon driven by Rick Eugene Thomas, 39, of Anaheim, Zito said.

Thomas told police that he momentarily looked away from the roadway and that when he saw the Bronco in front of him, it was too late.

Zito said the station wagon “was totaled” in the crash and that damage to the Bronco “was considerable.”

The accident is still under investigation.