A vigil was held for a family of four involved in a fatal crash in Harvard Park. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News on Jan. 2, 2024.
Heartbroken friends and family visited a memorial Tuesday night at the intersection where three members of a Los Angeles family of four were killed in a tragic New Year's Eve crash.
A 1-year-old girl is the lone family member to survive the horrific collision around 11:30 p.m. Sunday in the Harvard Park area, where police said a speeding driver in a SUV slammed into the family's sedan. Her sister and parents were killed in the crash.
A 22-year-old driver left the scene of a hit-and-run crash and ran a stop sign at 60th Place and Normandie Avenue before striking the family's car, according to the LAPD.
The family's car was thrown through a street sign and fence before it ended up outside a nearby business. Several witnesses tried to help the victims, police said.
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The baby girl who survived the crash was just days from her second birthday. Hannah Sofia was in a rear-facing car seat behind her mother, who was in the passenger's seat.
Police identified the father as 49-year-old Jose Manuel Pasgagasa.
"He was an extraordinary father," said Milena Villegas. "One-hundred percent for his daughters, for the world. Always present and always showing so much love to his daughter."
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Villegas was driving at the time of the crash. He died at the scene.
A 5-year-old daughter died on the way to the hospital. The girl's mother, Luisa Arenas, died Tuesday at the hospital, police said.
"She was fighting the last two days for her life, but suffered major trauma and she wasn’t able to pull through," said LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno.
Moreno said he was told by staff at the hospital that Hannah is expected to survive.
"I believe over the night a miracle happened," Moreno said. "Because the past two days she wasn't expected to survive. The last conversation we had with the hospital, it's looking like she might actually make it."
Family members said the family from Colombia had been living in Los Angeles for less than a year. Candles and other memorial items were left Tuesday at the intersection where they were killed.
Video from a home security camera showed a Chevy Tahoe being followed by the victim in the hit-and-run crash, police said. The 22-year-old driver of the SUV was arrested and expected to be charged, police said.
