Families of 3 Orange County women killed in traffic collision organize fundraisers
The families of three Orange County ride-share passengers killed in a traffic collision have organized fundraisers for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and Sept. 3, to help cover their funeral costs.
The fatal collision occurred Saturday around 5:25 a.m. at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Century Boulevard in Los Angeles, west of the 110 Freeway.
The suspect, a 31-year-old man, drove a car north on Vermont Avenue at a high speed, ran a red light and collided with the vehicle occupied by the three Orange County women plus a fourth passenger and the driver, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. The alleged at-fault driver, Gregory Black, faces charges of manslaughter.
Two victims, 27-year-old Kimberly Izquierdo and 23-year-old Veronica Amezola from Santa Ana, were sisters. The third victim, 23-year-old Juvelyn Arroyo from San Juan Capistrano, was their childhood friend and lived in the same apartment complex growing up.
A fundraiser for Arroyo’s funeral expenses offering food and raffles will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at 6074 Crest Avenue in Riverside.
The family of Izquierdo and Amezola will host separate fundraisers. One event will be selling horchata, tacos, enchiladas, and more, and will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 1409 West McFadden Avenue in Santa Ana.
Another fundraiser event featuring food, drinks and raffles will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday at 4470 Morristown Drive in Riverside.
Izquierdo and Amezola enjoyed going to concerts regularly and attended a music event before the fatal crash, according to their 31-year-old brother Jose Izquierdo from Riverside. The sisters were close to their parents, told them they were going out that night, and had their 15-year-old sister help them do their makeup before leaving.
“Their whole world is shattered. It’s dark right now,” said Izquierdo on behalf of his parents.
The 27-year-old sister was a Cal State Dominguez Hills alumni who recently graduated from nursing school and had been working as a licensed vocational nurse for AltaMed. Her 23-year-old sister had recently graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt after conducting research and studying in the field of environmental science. She had worked for the Orange County Animal Shelter for less than a year.
Arroyo studied at UC Riverside, according to her Facebook page.