NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. — Family and friends gathered on Saturday to mourn the loss of two sisters killed when an 18-year-old driver crashed into their vendor stand Friday afternoon near North Highlands.
Sheila Berry, 60, and Ethel Riley, 56, both of Carmichael, made their mark on the community with their sports T-shirt stand. Dozens of community members joined in prayer at a candlelight vigil to say their goodbyes and send a message to passing motorists.
"This is just a real tragedy," said friend Yvonne Lawrence.
"Take this as you see this vigil, as you see the candles lit -- when you pass by there when you stop at that light, make you say, "Oh, let me slow down,'" she said.
Michael Berry, the two sisters brother', flew in from Louisiana on Saturday morning.
"I miss them. Very much," Michael Berry said. "It's just a wake-up call for everyone."
Even as they mourned the loss of their friends and sisters, many expressed compassion for the young driver who ended their lives.
"She has to go through a lot. She has to live with this," said Lawrence.
California Highway Patrol said the teen was driving a Hyundai Elantra westbound on Don Julio Blvd turning left onto southbound Watt Ave, striking the two street vendors after she oversteered. Authorities said drugs and alcohol are not believed to be a factor, and the driver was cooperative with law enforcement.
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Two people are dead after an 18-year-old woman crashed into them near North Highlands on Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).