24-Year-Old Best Friends Were Both Hit by a Car and Killed at a Lakewood Crosswalk

Two GoFundMe pages have been set up to raise money for the funeral expenses of two friends who were killed after a car hit them at a Lakewood Crosswalk.

Christine Yan and Isabelle Zhang had many things in common. They were best friends and both 24 years old. They now also share the exact date of death which is quite a terrible detail to fathom.

On March 12, 2021, Yan and Zhang were walking in a Lakewood Crosswalk when they met their untimely deaths. Sadly, a car hit and killed the two best friends.

Policemen gathered at a crime scene | Photo: Shutterstock

Yan's cousin and roommate, Elizabeth Hong, revealed the deceased wanted to bring food and clothes for her cousin, who is about to give birth. When Hong received the devastating call of her cousin's death, she rushed to the accident site.

The site was near Bloomfield Avenue and Lemming Street. She told KTLA5: "We just fell on the grass. Some of the stuff that Christine and Isabelle were carrying, it was just scattered all over the street."

Police car with blue lights on the roof | Photo: Pixabay

Another thing Yan and Zhang had in common was that they were their parents' only children. They immigrated to the United States from China to attend college and recently graduated.

According to Hong, the best friends planned to work together at an accounting firm while Yan aimed to provide for her parents. She always dreamed of doing so and was delighted after getting her citizenship a year ago.

Some of the residents say the intersection is dangerous and fear such an incident could happen again.

Zhang's sister-in-law, Emily Fu, revealed her brother and the deceased were so much in love with each other. She also said her entire family loved Zhang.

Fu further said her brother and Zhang would have been celebrating their sixth anniversary of being together last weekend and expressed sadness that they are now planning her funeral.

A picture of two female friends bonding on a car. | Photo: Pixabay

Hong also said they remain oblivious of the cause of the crash that led to the best friends' deaths. The crash remains under investigation. Meanwhile, separate GoFundMe pages have been set up to raise money for Yan and Zhang's funeral expenses.

At the moment, thanks to people's generosity, $49,997 out of the targeted $80,000 has been raised for Yan, while $20,076 out of the targeted $50,000 has been raised for Zhang.

Two women having a discussion | Photo: Shutterstock

Following Yan and Zhang's deaths, Lakewood neighbors are signing a petition to make the crosswalk safer. Some of the residents say the intersection is dangerous and fear such an incident could happen again.

The petition is to make the City of Lakewood install a pedestrian warning device or traffic signal at the crosswalk. City leaders also said they would conduct a traffic survey to see if additional changes need to be made.

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