Original Coverage & Source Attribution: abc7.com
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Family, friends and community members gathered in North Hollywood Wednesday night to honor the beloved street vendors killed in an alleged DUI crash outside the North Hollywood Metro Station.
The deadly crash happened just before 6 p.m. Tuesday near the station on North Lankershim Boulevard near Chandler Boulevard when a man suspected of driving under the influence struck several pedestrians, killing three women and leaving two others injured, authorities said.
Flowers, candles and photographs marked memorials along Lankershim Boulevard for 57-year-old Teodora Villalobos and 73-year-old Maria Peck. Both women were friends of Sylvia Figueroa, who family members said remains in critical condition.
Relatives remembered Villalobos as a hardworking woman who regularly helped others while selling food in the community.
“She sold here and if people didn’t have money to pay for the food, she would still give food to those who don’t have anything,” one family member said.
A photograph and flowers were placed where Villalobos had worked for years.
“Her hotdogs were so good,” another mourner said.
Her family member added, “Sometimes it did get the best of her considering her current situation but she was always willing to work hard no matter what.”
As mourners paid their respects, family members of Figueroa spent time at the hospital, where she continues to recover from severe injuries.
“It hurts. It hurts a lot, I’m not used to seeing her like this,” said Eliza Begay, Figueroa’s sister-in-law.
Begay and her husband, Max Figueroa, said Sylvia Figueroa suffered broken ribs, a bleeding liver and severe head trauma.
“They have a tube down her throat to help her breathe,” Max Figueroa said.
According to family members, Sylvia Figueroa had spent Tuesday evening with Villalobos and Peck before the crash.
“It was her friend that she helps every night to help sell hotdogs and stuff,” Max Figueroa said.
He added, “It’s rough to hear your family member got hit by a drunk driver.”
Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko. A neighbor said she saw the 61-year-old at his home about an hour before investigators say he struck pedestrians outside North Hollywood Station on Tuesday night.
“I stood over there and I saw him wobbling because I never seen him like that before,” the neighbor said.
Demianenko was hospitalized with minor injuries and later arrested on felony DUI. He is also facing three counts of murder and is being held on more than $6 million bail.
Family members said they are now focused on supporting Sylvia Figueroa and seeking justice for the victims.
“I hope we get justice for my sister-in law and I hope you get what you deserve because what you did was not right,” Begay said.
Meanwhile, the North Hollywood Relief Fund was set up on GoFundMe to raise money for the families of the victims in partnership with Councilmember Adrin Nazarian and ICON CDC, a nonprofit organization.
