NORTH PORT, Florida — Family members are mourning after a motorcycle crash killed a 17-year-old girl and left her 14-year-old sister seriously injured in the hospital last week.
Angelica and Alina Yarmak left Vancouver, Washington for Florida around five years ago with their parents and older sister, Jessica. Angelica Yarmak loved motorcycles; a bond she shared with her father. Her cousins said she worked all summer to save up for a new motorcycle.
"She just had such a passion for bikes and every day she rode, and so it's just so tragic that that's, that's the thing that took her life," said Lana Shtefyuk, their cousin.
Last Thursday, Angelica Yarmak was riding her motorcycle with Alina Yarmak, who was a passenger, when they were involved in a crash in North Port, Florida. A 16-year-old driver in a sedan was traveling eastbound and tried to make a left turn, but the motorcycle hit the front corner of the sedan. The sisters were wearing helmets, but Angelica Yarmak was pronounced dead at the scene while Alina Yarmak was airlifted to the hospital. The driver of the sedan wasn't hurt.
"I mean, you could be doing everything right. You could be driving perfectly safe, the speed limit, but it's just like, it's other drivers that they might not see you or, you know, they're just driving carelessly," Shtefyuk said.
Shtefyuk said she knows her cousin was also very safe when riding.
"They’re destroyed, they're in disbelief," said Russell Yarmak, another cousin, referring to the sister's parents. "They said we can't even walk inside the house to see the room."
Alina Yarmak had life-saving surgery, and it wasn't until Saturday that she learned her sister had passed away in the crash.
"They broke the news to her after surgery, and she was just screaming," Russell Yarmak said. "They were best friends. They shared a room together. They grew up together. They did everything together."
Alina Yarmak is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.
Victoria Yarmak, another cousin, and also grew up with the girls. She described Angelica Yarmak as an amazing person who she loved so much.
"I don't know how our family's gonna get through this, but I believe that we will get through this," Victoria Yarmak said. "You look at other people who went through this, you know, people who posted GoFundMe's and stuff like that, and you never think like, that's going to be you some day and your family. Then you finally realized the pain that other people had to go through."
She said the last time she saw her cousins was when they came back to Vancouver to visit after their uncle died. Now, she will going to Florida for Angelica's funeral Saturday.
“All we know is that it wasn't her fault. The first call they got, they said she wasn't at fault," said Inessa Worthington, another cousin.
The girls' father is the sole provider for the family and works as a truck driver. The family is asking for people to donate to their GoFundMe to help with medical bills and funeral expenses.
More Than A Number aims to help give a face and a voice to victims and families impacted by tragedies. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a homicide and would like to share your story, you can reach out to us by sending an email to morethananumber@kgw.com