A 33-year-old mother of two was killed early Friday morning when a speeding vehicle allegedly driven by an intoxicated driver slammed into her car near 8th Street and Ardmore Avenue in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. The impact sent her car spinning into a utility pole and several parked vehicles before she was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver was hospitalized and later arrested on suspicion of DUI once released from the hospital. Community members held a candlelight vigil at the crash site days later to remember the victim.
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, the victim, identified by family as Ittai Rodriguez, was making a food delivery in a vehicle she had recently purchased when she was struck while attempting to turn. CBS News Los Angeles reported that the crash happened just after 12:30 a.m. in the 3300 block of Eighth Street, that a fire hydrant and utility box were also damaged, and that police said they are not investigating the crash as a hit-and-run. Authorities said the circumstances leading up to the collision, including vehicle speeds, remain under investigation.
