Ten days after the tragic death of David García Junior, a young father of four minors, the perpetrator of the fatal hit-and-run accident who escaped from the scene in East Los Angeles, has not been located by Department authorities. of the Los Angeles Sheriff.
“I’m very angry. How can one throw someone, kill, without surrendering. Look at my children! “The little ones will never know their father!” exclaims Cecilia Jiménez, the widow of David García Junior, through tears.
His family opened an account on the GoFundMe site to raise funds for his funeral expenses.
On Tuesday, October 24, around seven in the afternoon, the driver of a vehicle hit David while he was taking the trash cans out to the street, outside his apartment at 721 S Downey Road in East Los Angeles, very close to from Whittier Street.
David, 36, was rushed to the General Hospital where he died the next day, October 25 at seven in the morning due to the injuries suffered.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, which reported the events, has not offered the family any information that would reveal the identity of the person responsible and could lead to his arrest.
“We want the sheriff to do his job. There are many days without knowing anything. It’s a big accident, it wasn’t anything. They should have arrested the man or woman who caused my husband’s death. Do something! “We want Justice!” demands Cecilia.
Through a neighbor’s security cameras they were able to realize that the car that caused David’s death is a silver Honda Pilot from 2003 or 2004.
Although on the asphalt of Downey Road it is indicated that the maximum speed is 35 miles per hour, it is enough to stop for a few minutes to observe that drivers do not respect the indicated limit, and the majority drive at full speed, some up to 60 miles .
“It was already dark when the accident happened. That’s why there were no witnesses who looked at the car’s license plates. We don’t know if the driver looked at him, but he did come at high speed and he must have felt that he hit someone, but he didn’t care, he left as if nothing had happened,” says Aurelia Jiménez, Cecilia’s sister.
He says crashes are frequent on Downey Road, from the freeway entrance from Whittier Street to Third Street.
“Unfortunately there is nothing that indicates to motorists that they should slow down and there are no stop signs that would help prevent deaths.”
Cecilia says that residents of Downey Road have always lived in fear of vehicles that take the street as a highway.
“Now it is worse, we are more afraid. The authorities have to do something. “Put lights, stop lights, anything so that no one else dies on this street due to a hit and run.”
Who was David
David had been married for 12 years to Cecilia Jiménez with whom he had four children, a 13-year-old boy, a ten-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy, and a two-year-old girl.
He made his living as a ride-hailing, Uber and Lyft driver. “He had always been a driver for the Los Angeles Distribución company, but two years ago he left it to be an Uber and Lyft driver. He wanted to dedicate more time to the family, and these companies allowed him to make his work schedules.”
Cecilia describes her husband as a man full of life, happy with a lot of passion.
“He loved sports. He played soccer and basketball. He was a fan of the Dodgers and especially the Lakers. We gave my son Kobe as his middle name; and my youngest daughter Gianna, in honor of Kobe’s daughter who passed away.”
Cecilia says that she fell in love with her husband’s character.
“He told a lot of jokes, he didn’t stop talking, he always had testimonies and many stories to tell,” she says, full of sadness.
And he appreciates the support he has received from the community and his entire family.
“Without that help, I don’t know where I would be right now.”
One of the cars driven by Uber and Lyft remains parked next to the place where David Junior met his death. Curiously, the vehicle did not suffer any damage.
David is survived by his parents David García and Mayra Palacios, four sisters and a brother. One more brother died just on September 1st and had just been buried on October 2nd.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the CHP East LA division at 323-980-4600.