A family still reeling from a crash involving a suspected drunk driver on Thanksgiving Day that claimed the life of a young mother are now devastated by the recent death of her 8-year-old daughter, who was also gravely injured in the tragic accident.
The deadly crash happened around 1:30 p.m. on the 1700 block of W. 83rd Street in Manchester Square, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
While he was at work, David Aragon received the earth-shattering call that no parent ever wants to endure, that his daughter Alma Aragon and granddaughter Alexa Antonio Aragon had been in a serious crash and were rushed to Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.
“I came here and I asked the doctor, ‘My daughter, she’s okay?’” the grieving father told KTLA’s Omar Lewis. “They said, ‘No, she passed away.’”
Alma, 26, and her daughter had been waiting at a bus stop that afternoon after picking up a gift from a relative. That’s when police say a speeding driver traveling southbound on Western Avenue collided with another driver who was exiting a liquor store parking lot.
The impact of the two vehicles set off a chain reaction, sending one car careening onto the sidewalk where the mother and daughter were struck. Alma died a short time later.
“We have the individual pulling out of the liquor store who was under the influence,” Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Ryan Moreno told KTLA. “And then we have the lady who was driving at a high rate of speed in a reckless manner. So, they both will be facing manslaughter charges.”
Young Alexa was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but ultimately succumbed to her injuries on Monday.
David is now dealing with the loss of his daughter and granddaughter, both of whom moved to the U.S. two years ago in search of a better life.
“My daughter said, ‘Oh, pappa, this is a nice place. I can work and make my money. I want to buy my house. I want to buy my car.’ Now everything changed,” he said.
As of last week, LAPD said there have been 101 deadly crashes in South Centra Los Angeles alone.
“Last year, we were at 107 people killed,” Sgt. Moreno said. “ A year before that, it was 109. A 109 has been a record top year, so we were hoping to stay under this year, but now it doesn’t look like it. It looks like we will surpass more than we ever had.”
With lives like young Alexa’s and her mother Alma’s cut short on a day meant for gratitude, many residents of South L.A. are hoping drivers will start doing their part to stop this from ever happening again.
“It’s bad that somebody on Thanksgiving just lost their family,” one resident told KTLA. “They need to slow down.
Police said that neither of the drivers involved in the crash had a valid driver’s license and were not supposed to be on the road.
In the meantime, the Aragon family has organized a GoFundMe to help with the cost of funeral expenses.