A toddler is fighting for her life after her family was killed by a hit-and-run driver in South L.A. on New Year’s Eve.
The victims were identified as Jose Manuel Pasgagasa, 49, Luisa Arenas, 26 and their two daughters — 5-year-old Mia and 1-year-old Hanna.
The family of four was driving at the intersection of Normandie Avenue and 60th Street in the Harvard Park neighborhood on New Year’s Eve around 11:20 p.m.
The driver of a speeding SUV who was running away from an earlier hit-and-run crash ran through a stop sign and slammed into the family’s vehicle, forcing their car into a street sign.
The father was killed on impact, said Los Angeles police. Both the mother and 5-year-old Mia were transported to the hospital but later died from their severe injuries.
One-year-old Hanna is the sole survivor who remains hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Video from the scene showed the destructive aftermath as both vehicles were destroyed and debris was dispersed across the roadway.
“The collision was so violent, with so much force that it sent that vehicle onto the southwest corner [of the intersection], knocking over the street sign, the fence,” said Sgt. Ryan Moreno with LAPD’s South Traffic Division.
Several good Samaritans heard the crash and were seen running over to try to help the family as smoke started coming from the car. Witnesses said the crash sounded like an explosion.
The family of four had moved to Los Angeles from Colombia just a year ago.
With most of their relatives in Colombia, police are working with family members abroad, most notably regarding the care of Hanna who remains hospitalized but has been reportedly showing signs of improvement.
A GoFundMe page has been organized to help the family.
The suspect behind the deadly crash is a 22-year-old man with no prior record, police said. His identity was not released.
Authorities are still investigating the events leading up to the crash and believe alcohol may have been a factor.