A 5-year-old boy and his grandmother, part of a Hawai'i family which moved to Nevada just before Christmas for better job opportunities, were killed in a highway crash near Las Vegas this week, police said.

Ellijah Gray and his great-grandmother Hisae Saito, 85, were among three people who died Wednesday on U.S. Highway 95 about 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, said family friend Deelight Quezon of Honolulu.

Bonnie and Johnnye Gray had moved from Mo'ili'ili to Nevada about two weeks ago in hopes of finding better jobs and a bigger home for their four children, Quezon said.

"They were really looking forward to finding an affordable home for the family," she said.

Police said the Hawai'i family was traveling in a minivan when a 19-year-old driver headed in the opposite direction pulled out to pass a slow-moving semi-truck. She lost control and slid broadside into oncoming traffic, where the Grays' minivan collided with the passenger side of the out-of-control vehicle.

A teenage passenger in the 19-year-old woman's car also died in the accident, police said.

Investigators said they were waiting for toxicology reports before deciding whether to charge the woman driver. A Las Vegas television station reported that police at the scene of the accident found evidence of drugs or alcohol in the woman's car.

Quezon, who said she has been Bonnie Gray's best friend since they were students at Kaimuki High School, said everyone in the family suffered some injuries in the accident.

Bonnie Gray had two broken legs and her husband had no feeling in his legs, while two other children were less seriously hurt, she said. The couple's youngest child, a 9-month-old girl, Zariah, also survived the crash.

"It appeared the baby was secured and fastened in a child seat. An impact of this magnitude just goes to show what a properly secured child seat will do," said Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Honea.

Saito, Bonnie Gray's grandmother, had moved to Las Vegas with the family to remain close to the children while the family established itself in its new home, Quezon said.

Police said it was a difficult way to start the new year.

"To have a multiple fatality right out of the chute, and involving a 5-year-old. We can all relate to that," Honea said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.