An innocent bystander that was killed during a suspected street racing crash in West Hills on Friday has been identified as 57-year-old Colleen Wong, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed Saturday.
The single mother of two was struck by a speeding driver that lost control and crashed into her while she was stopped at an intersection, according to police.
The incident occurred just after 4 p.m. Friday in the area of 24399 W. Vanowen St., in the parking lot of West Hills Montessori.
Two, possibly three, cars were street racing at Valley Circle, when one of the cars sped out of control, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Bystanders initiated CPR on Colleen until firefighters arrived, and though paramedics continued life support measures, she was declared dead at the scene.
Police arrested a man at the site of the crash on suspicion of street racing and driving under the influence. LAPD is still searching for at least one more driver who fled the scene.
Witnesses told authorities Friday that speed appeared to be a factor in the incident, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an incident alert.
Colleen’s family describes her as a woman of faith.
“My dad and her were both missionaries before,” her son Tim Wong told KTLA. “Then when my dad passed, she helped start a nonprofit whose purpose was to empower local people and different nations to spread the gospel.”
Her son says he wants the public to know that his mom lived a life of service to others, especially those in need.
“She was always the most energetic and most outgoing person in the room,” he said. “My mom, especially after my dad passed away, was always my go-to person whenever I needed something, just to talk. Now I don’t have that, so still just trying to process it.”
LAPD says it is stepping up enforcement for driving under the influence following the crash and several others over the last few days. As of March 18, fatal traffic collisions are up 35% year-to-date, according to the department.
Correction: A video embedded in this article was removed because it contained an image misidentifying the victim.