A teenager was killed over the weekend by a hit-and-run driver in Sun Valley, leaving the victim’s family heartbroken and leaving behind a baby on the way.
Relatives of 15-year-old Carlos Pech are grappling with their loss after the teenager was struck by a reckless driver Saturday night. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a man driving recklessly at a high speed lost control of his SUV and hit several parked cars near the intersection of Strathern Street and Craner Avenue.
Along with the parked vehicles, the driver hit two pedestrians – one of them being Pech. One of the pedestrians was treated for moderate injuries but Pech, sadly, died of his wounds at an area hospital.
Christine Hernandez, Pech’s mother, recalls hearing the impact and knowing instantly her child was in peril.
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“I knew my son was gone. I just had the mother’s instinct,” a devastated Hernandez told NBC4.
Hernandez lives near the site of the crash and said she was waiting for her son to return after he spent an evening with his friends. She recalled after hearing the crash, running to the source of the sound and finding her boy on the road.
“I saw him on the floor trying to gasp for air,” she said.
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The mother said she was so hysterical that police detained her. By the time she was free to follow her son to the hospital, she received the life-altering news no parent wants to hear.
“On the way to the hospital, they called me to tell me my son didn’t make it,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said her son was a father-to-be as he and his girlfriend are expecting a baby boy due next month.
“I just threw his last baby shower last week,” she said.
Police arrested Joseph Delgado, 22, of North Hills in connection with the crash. He faces charges that include murder, according to LAPD.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact Valley Traffic Division Detective Otrosina at 818-644-8036 or Officer Reyes at 818-644-8114. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
