A devastated mother whose two children were killed in a car crash is furious that passengers who fled as the siblings lay dying will not face any charges.
Alina Kauffman, 24, was picking up her brother Ernesto Salazer, 15, from work when they were struck by an allegedly stolen car at Heckenberg, in Sydney‘s south-west, at about 9.20pm on Friday.
The Mercedes smashed into the Toyota Echo the siblings were in, metres from their home, before it also hit a stationary Toyota RAV4 and flipped onto its side.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the siblings when they found them trapped in the wreckage however they both died at the scene.
None of the passengers in the Mercedes will face any charges under good Samaritan laws that stipulate only the driver of a car must stop or report a car crash.
The alleged driver of the Mercedes, Johnson Kokozian, 20, has been charged with two counts of failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death, two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death, and driving a vehicle during a disqualification period.
The siblings’ mother, Angelina Kauffman, has pledged to attend Kokozian’s appearance at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday.
Alina Kauffman, 24, was picking up her brother Ernesto Salazer, 15 (pictured), from work when they were struck by an allegedly stolen car at Heckenberg, in Sydney ‘s south-west, at about 9.20pm on Friday
Ms Kauffman was appalled at the actions of the passengers of the Mercedes who left her children to die.
‘They just ran and left them, like (they’re) nothing,’ Ms Kauffman told 7News.
She also criticised those who decided to take footage of the crash with their smartphones instead of helping her children, saying ‘help, do something’.
The lack of charges prompted the state’s deputy premier, Prue Car, to declare at a press conference: ‘If there are gaps in the law, we will be open to looking at that.’
Lawyer Paul McGirr hit back at any plans to expand on good Samaritan laws and enforce the public to act in a time of crisis.
‘It depends on what they know, what they saw, what mindset they’re in at the time,’ he said.
‘Making it a law that some person should do some act, that’s the grey area.’
The driver of the Toyota Echo (pictured) Alina Kauffman, 24, and her 15-year-old brother Ernesto Salazer and were treated by paramedics at the scene but were unable to be saved
Ernesto Kauffman, 15, is pictured the family pet
Alina Kauffman, 24, was killed in Friday night’s crash
About 150 people gathered on Sunday night to pay tribute to the brother and sister.
Mourners were seen placing cards, flowers and toys at the roadside crash site during the vigil.
Mum Ms Kauffman broke down in tears after returning to the crash site on Saturday.
She shared a harrowing tribute to her children, describing them as ‘good people’ who wanted to make a difference.
‘My babies, they took them from me, my babies,’ Ms Kauffman said.
‘My kids were going to help people, my kids wanted to make a difference in this world, my kids were good people.
‘My daughter she’s such a beautiful girl, she loves her brother and my son, he loves his sister.
‘Now my son is gone and my daughter she’s gone. My kids are gone and I have to live the rest of my life with no kids, why? I don’t understand.’
The passengers of a Mercedes that fled the crash can not face any charges as only the driver of a vehicle can be charged with failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact
A vigil (pictured) was held for the brother and sister killed in a horror crash when an alleged stolen Mercedes smashed into their car just metres away from their home in Heckenberg
Ms Kauffman said Alina was a dedicated nursing student with a kind heart, while Ernesto was an animal lover who was working at K-mart saving for his first car.
She explained her daughter had collected her son from his new job at Kmart and the pair were nearly home when they were hit.
‘Alina called me and said ”mum I picked up my brother, we are going to get some food and then we are coming home”,’ Ms Kauffman said.
‘I said ”are you okay” and they said ”yes mummy”.’
When she didn’t hear from them in 20 minutes, Ms Kauffman and her other child tracked their location down via social media.
The distraught mother said she arrived at the scene just minutes after the crash.
Devastated mother, Angelina Kauffman, whose two children were killed in a car crash is furious that passengers who fled as the siblings lay dying will not face any charges
‘The police came and told me my kids died. My beautiful kids,’ she continued tearfully.
‘These people hit my kids and left them to die.’
Officers arrested 20-year-old Johnson Kokozian after he handed himself into Liverpool Police Station on Saturday.
Kokozian denies he was behind the wheel but was charged over the crash and refused bail at Parramatta Court on Sunday.
Kokozian allegedly filmed himself eating KFC in the hours before turning himself into police.
The Mercedes was reported stolen by Kokozian’s father after police attended his address about an hour after the crash.
Police have charged Johnson Kokozian (pictured) over the crash. The 20-year-old denies he was behind the wheel of the Mercedes
Johnson Kokozian, 20 allegedly filmed a Snapchat video of himself enjoying a meal from KFC just after the crash (pictured)
CCTV allegedly shows the Mercedes travelling at high speed along a residential road just minutes before the crash.
Another 18-year-old handed himself in to police on Sunday but was released without charge.
Police allege Kokozian and two other people climbed out of the wrecked Mercedes and got into another car to drive off after making no attempt to help the siblings who were fatally wounded in the Echo.
Police are also on the hunt for the person who filmed the crash victims dying inside the car before sharing it to social media.
A six-second video circulated online on Sunday of the moments after the crash showing the two siblings sitting inside the wreckage.
The gruesome video shows the young people close to death but no attempt made by the camera operator to offer first aid.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk