Stamford restaurant mourns co-workers killed in hit-and-run over the weekend
STAMFORD, Conn. -- Two young co-workers were killed in a hit-and-run crash in Fairfield County. Police say the driver ran from the scene and then tried to hide from police.
CBS2's Tony Aiello spoke with grieving friends of the young victims on Tuesday.
At La Cantina Mexicana in Stamford, a table is reserved for remembrances of Giovanni Benis and Yuliana Lozano, who were struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver early Saturday.
"It's difficult, hard to think they won't be here anymore," co-worker Selena Hernandez said, adding when asked how she will remember them, "Happy, loving, hardworking people."
Stamford police say the two were crossing at the intersection of Washington and Main, when a speeding car struck and sent them flying.
Police said the driver, a 24-year-old from Greenwich, dumped his heavily damaged Mercedes a block away and then ran to a nearby street. Police found him with minor injuries hiding behind a shed.
"The right thing would have been to stay there, and just take ownership for it. To run from it and like hide wasn't gonna make the situation any better," Stamford resident Daniela Rivera said.
Rivera visited the memorial at the intersection. She lives nearby and saw the aftermath of the fatal accident.
"It was horrible, 911 calls, everyone screaming and crying. It was really sad," Rivera said.
"This one is a bad one, one of the worst we've seen in a while. Past couple of years, it's definitely one of the worst," Stamford Police Sgt. Jeffrey Booth said.
Booth said cops want to know if the driver was under the influence, and are working to determine how fast the driver's car was traveling over the 25 mph limit.
Speed kills. Studies show 5% of pedestrians will die when struck by a vehicle traveling 20 mph, but 80% of pedestrians would die when the vehicle impact is at 40 mph.
Benis, a Stamford native, leaves behind two young children. Lozano was from Colombia.