Neighbors raise awareness after woman hit by a car and killed in Burlingame

BURLINGAME, Calif. - A community is coming together after a woman was killed as she tried to cross the street last week at a Burlingame intersection.

The people I spoke to say this intersection is relatively safe but what happened here last Thursday makes them want to raise more awareness about pedestrian safety.

"They can go first. I’m not in that much of a hurry," said Marilou Lee, of Woodside. 

Lee says she’s been living in the area for 44 years, and she often walks across Peninsula Avenue and Delaware Street. She says the intersection is safe for the most part, but she still waits for cars to go before crossing the street.

"You got to pay attention to the lights, and you got to pay attention to the cars that are coming and going," said Lee. 

According to a GoFundMe account for Villar’s family, Villar was hit from behind as she crossed the street around 6:15 last Thursday morning. She died shortly after, leaving behind an 18-year-old daughter, Stephanie, who has special needs. She was a single mother and now Villar’s sister will take care of her daughter.

"My heart aches for her because I’m a walker too. You really have to pay attention to where you’re going and to look where people are going, because they really don’t pay attention these days. They’re on their cell phones, they’re looking in the mirror," said Lee. 

This woman, who did not want to be identified or speak on camera, came with her children to place a drawing on the pole where Villar’s picture had been posted. She says Villar was her niece’s nanny, and she came to pay respect. Another woman who lives in nearby San Mateo says she also walks the neighborhood and says as she walks, she wants to be aware of her surroundings including the traffic.

"I mean I have to make sure that everything is good to go before crossing for sure. I feel much more hyper aware around here, yeah," said Taylor Capobianco, of San Mateo.  

Police said the driver involved in this accident did stay at the scene and cooperated with their investigation. KTVU reached out to Burlingame Police for an update but didn’t hear back from them in time for this report. If you'd like information about donating to Villar's family, click here.