Family holds vigil for woman killed when car crashed into Whittier burger restaurant
Family members of the 39-year-old woman who was killed when a car veered off the road and into a Whittier burger restaurant earlier this week held a vigil to honor their lost loved one on Wednesday.
The crash happened just before 2:30 p.m. on Monday, when a gray sedan crashed into Michael's Super Burgers at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Norwalk Boulevard. The car struck two people, including the woman, who family members identified as Zenia Chantal West. They say she was riding a scooter at the intersection when she was hit and killed.
Family members believe the driver was speeding, and that the case should be investigated as reckless driving.
"This is the life that he took from us. We're not just gonna let him think he can be speeding around here," said Trymise Clark, one of West's relatives.
West, the mother of a 17-year-old son, had just left work at a nearby warehouse when she was killed, family members say.
"You never think about burying your kids, you know?" said West's mother, Sandra Green. "It's been rough."
According to the family, some witnesses have told them that the driver was speeding through the intersection to make the light before it changed while turning left when he lost control and hit West.
The impact of the crash was so forceful that she was thrown to the other side of the restaurant, while the car continued and crashed through the wall of the burger joint.
"You wasn't going 15 miles [per hour] like you need to be, so you had to be speeding," Clark said. "It's just not right, and it's not fair. We want justice for her."
The last week has been traumatic for the family, after their nephew, 18-year-old Jaydin Lewis, was fatally shot at a party at a Northridge strip mall.
"I'm already dealing with a tragedy with my nephew and then two days later, to have to find out another loved one? It's tough," said Tara Lewis-Maxwell.
Police said that the driver, who still hasn't been publicly identified, was initially taken to the hospital after the crash along with the other pedestrian who was struck. They say that he could face charges for the crash, but their investigation is still ongoing.
