3 Aurora boys die in traffic crash

Three Aurora children died early Tuesday in a car crash in western Oklahoma after their father apparently fell asleep at the wheel, officials say.

Leonel Hernandez, his four sons and his wife, Lorena Martinez, were traveling west on I-40 around 4 a.m. when Hernandez apparently fell asleep and ran off the roadway into the median, according to a report by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol .

Hernandez's car, a 2001 Lincoln Navigator, rolled over two times, ejecting him and his four sons on the first roll, authorities said.

Dylan Hernandez, 8, died at the scene from massive head injuries.

Darian Hernandez, 9, also died of head injuries at Great Plains Regional Hospital in Elk City, Okla.

Brian Hernandez, 15, died about 10:25 a.m. of internal injuries at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo.

Oscar Hernandez, 12, is in stable condition with internal, arm and leg injuries at Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City.

The father, 44, is in critical condition with head, hip and leg injuries at Northwest Texas Hospital.

Hernandez's 35-year-old wife was uninjured in the crash. She was the only one in the car wearing a seat belt, authorities said.

The family apparently was headed west to visit Hernandez's relatives, who either lived in Mexico or New Mexico, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West.

The children are students in East Aurora Unit District 131. Brian was a sophomore at East Aurora High School. Darian was in fourth grade and Dylan in second grade at Hermes Elementary School.

Oscar is a seventh-grader at Simmons Middle School.

School leaders have made social workers and crisis specialists available at each building to help students and staff members, district spokesman Clayton Muhammad said in a release.

"These are our sons and we will support the family through their loss, grief and healing process," the release said. "Please keep the Hernandez family in your remembrances during this time of bereavement."