Husband Pleads For Hit-And-Run Driver Who Fatally Struck Wife To Surrender
ECHO PARK (CBSLA) — The husband of a 57-year-old woman who was fatally struck in an Echo Park hit-and-run collision is pleading from a hospital bed for the driver to turn themself in.
An undated photo of Morena Dell Carmen Alvarado-Lopez.
Morena Dell Carmen Alvarado-Lopez and her 71-year-old husband Juan Vahena-Monroe left a dance club and were crossing Sunset Boulevard east of White Knoll Drive around 12:50 a.m. when they were struck by a car, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The couple was said to have been dragged by the vehicle approximately 50 feet, according to police. The crash killed Alvarado-Lopez and left Vahena-Monroe with severe injuries.
"I want the driver to turn himself in and take responsibility for what happened," Vahena-Monroe said in an LAPD video taken inside the hospital. "Please, I am begging him."
Surveillance video of the accident showed the dark-colored vehicle briefly stop before fleeing the scene.
A memorial grew Monday night as her family showed up to place flowers near the scene of the crash.
"She was very caring, very understanding," Oscar Escobar said about his mother. "She helped anybody in need."
Alvarado-Lopez's children also asked the public for help in locating the person who hit and dragged the couple.
"I don't wish this upon anybody, not even to [the driver]," said Marcos Bahena-Alvarado
Alvarado-Lopez worked at Los Angeles International Airport for a company that prepares meals for the airlines. According to her family, she and her husband would go out dancing from time to time.
The family said Vahena-Monroe hasn't had a drink in years and their mom was there for the dance floor.
Vahena-Monroe suffered a series of broken bones. According to his son, he tried to shield his wife from the car.
"[The drive] needs to take responsibility for what he did," Escobar said.
A GoFundMe page was set up for Alvarado-Lopez's funeral and memorial costs.
Anyone with information regarding the vehicle and the driver is asked to contact Det. Juan Campos at (213)833-3713.
