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In the early hours of Friday, May 26, taxi driver Ken Balayev was killed in a fatal accident in Downtown Los Angeles. The incident reportedly occured at 3:00 am, when a black Chevy Cruz drove in the wrong direction on the 110 Freeway, colliding with Balayeve's taxi. The victim was declared dead at the scene.
His passenger, an unidentified person, suffered minor injuries. The Cruz driver, 23-year-old Samantha Molina, was hospitalised with serious injuries along with another unidentified female passenger who was riding in her car.
Authorites have not disclosed why Molina was driving in the wrong direction. The accident currently remains police investigation, but authorities believe that Ken Balayev was not guilty of any wrongdoing. No arrests have been made in the case so far.
Ken Balayev was an Armenian refugee who had immigrated to Los Angeles in 1991
In the wake of the accident, Ken Balayev's family spoke to reporters about the tragic loss. His daughter, Anna Balayev-Lim, described her father as a 71-year-old Armenian refugee who had immigrated to Los Angeles in 1991. After arriving in California, he opened and operated a dental lab.
Balayev's daughter said that the victim was a grandfather who had been married for 45 years. Eight years ago, he started driving a cab in order to keep active. The daughter further added that he had been a sociable cab driver who enjoyed his social interactions with passengers.
Anna Balayev-Lim told KTLA that she was often worried about her 71-year-old father, who would sometimes get into arguments with passengers. She added that once he had even been assaulted while driving a cab.
In her interview, she described the last time she saw Ken Balayev, telling reporters:
“He kissed me goodbye, and I didn’t know that was going to be my last time seeing him."
Fox LA stated that at approximately 3:00 am, Los Angeles officials received reports of Samantha Molina allegedly driving her Cruze Southbound on a Northbound lane. Subsequently, she crashed straight into Ken Balayev's taxi cab near the Exposition Boulevard exit.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities discovered Balayev's wrecked Toyota Prius taxi blocking the lanes of the freeway. Authorities said that multiple people were trapped within the ruined vehicles. They were extracted from the cars by first responders, who declared Balayev dead soon after.
As authorities worked at the site of the collision, the Northbound 110 was closed for several hours, until 6:00 am. According to KTLA, authorities are speculating that substance abuse may have played a role in Samantha Molina's erratic driving.
It has not been yet disclosed whether Samantha Molina will face any charges for her alleged role in the incident.
