The deadly sidewalk crash struck a longtime vending area along a Lankershim Boulevard corridor already known for serious collisions.
LOS ANGELES — A sidewalk beside the North Hollywood Metro station where vendors had spent years selling food to commuters has become a place of mourning after a minivan struck pedestrians there, killing three women and seriously injuring two others.
The Nov. 10 crash killed Francesca Krystine Esker, 39; Teodora De Jesus Villalobos, 57; and Maria Angelica Peck, 73, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The collision near Lankershim and Chandler boulevards devastated a familiar group of vendors and customers while renewing attention on pedestrian safety along a heavily traveled stretch of Lankershim Boulevard. Prosecutors have since charged the driver, 61-year-old Ihor Demianenko of Valley Village, with three counts of murder and two felony DUI-related offenses.
Villalobos had sold food near the intersection for about 20 years, according to her family. Her daughter described her as strong, resilient and independent, and said she would sometimes feed people even when they could not pay. Other residents described the women who worked in the area as familiar figures whose stands served commuters, neighborhood workers and people passing through one of North Hollywood’s busiest transit hubs.
The crash happened shortly before 6 p.m., during the evening commute. Police said Demianenko was driving south on Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed when the minivan left the road and struck pedestrians and food vendors on the sidewalk. The vehicle came to rest in the vending area near the Metro station. Three women were pronounced dead, and two other people were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The scene sits along a part of Lankershim Boulevard that Los Angeles transportation officials have previously identified as a dangerous traffic corridor. City transportation data cited in local reporting showed 22 severe or fatal collisions on a stretch of Lankershim between Chandler and Victory boulevards from 2009 through 2019. Planned safety work in the corridor has included higher-visibility crosswalks, a new traffic signal and protected left-turn signals.
Those broader safety concerns are separate from the criminal allegations in the Nov. 10 crash. Prosecutors allege Demianenko was impaired and speeding before the minivan went onto the sidewalk. The District Attorney’s Office said testing showed a blood-alcohol concentration of more than three times the state’s legal limit of 0.08%. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances of the crash, and the allegations against Demianenko have not been proven in court.
In the hours and days after the collision, neighbors and customers gathered near the station to remember the women. Flowers and candles appeared at the site, while people who knew the vendors spoke about the everyday relationships built around their stands. The women were remembered not simply as people working on a sidewalk but as part of the routine of the neighborhood, serving people who passed the same corner day after day.
The station area combines several kinds of street activity in a relatively small space. Metro passengers move between trains, buses and nearby streets while pedestrians travel along Lankershim Boulevard and vendors operate beside the flow of commuters. That mix made the effects of the crash especially severe when the minivan entered the sidewalk area shortly before the evening rush reached its peak.
Police have said investigators intend to study available video closely as they reconstruct the crash. Early statements from officers focused on determining why the vehicle left the roadway and whether the driver’s actions were intentional or accidental. The subsequent DUI investigation and criminal filing have added new evidence and allegations, but the court process will determine whether prosecutors can prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Demianenko now faces three felony murder counts, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and one felony count of driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher causing injury. Prosecutors said he remained in custody with bail set at $6.13 million. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 54 years to life in state prison.
The case is scheduled to move next to an arraignment Nov. 16 in Van Nuys. As that process begins, the neighborhood continues to grieve Esker, Villalobos and Peck and to reckon with the loss of women whose daily work had made them recognizable parts of the North Hollywood station area. The condition of the two other people seriously injured in the crash remained an important unresolved part of the aftermath.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2026.