San Bernardino community mourns 21-year-old woman killed in suspected drunk driving accident

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) – A community came together to mourn the death of a 21-year-old woman who died in a suspected drunk driving accident in San Bernardino.

Leila Strawder died in a car accident on Saturday evening. On Tuesday evening, relatives remembered the victim at a vigil on the corner of East 30th Street and Broadmoor Boulevard.

Investigators say Leila was thrown from an SUV while sitting in the passenger seat of a drunk driver. Investigators have since arrested her friend Shaylee Williams and charged her with drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.

The accident devastated Leila’s mother.

“Don’t drive under the influence. Don’t let anyone drive under the influence. Don’t let your kids or friends get in a car with a drunk driver,” said an emotional Lisa Strawder. “You have no control, and no one has control – and life is just over. And you can’t take it back.”

Lisa says her daughter was on her way home from an event when her best friend lost control and crashed near Freeway 210.

Witnesses rushed to the scene, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who happened to be nearby to help Leila. The sheriff performed CPR until emergency responders arrived.

Investigators say Leila was trapped underneath. She was taken to the hospital where she died.

“I just want to thank them for their efforts. I’m glad they responded so quickly and didn’t hesitate,” Lisa told Eyewitness News.

Leila’s friends and family remember her as a creative soul who loved cosmetics and the color pink.

“My daughter was perfect,” Lisa said. “Everything she did was perfect.”

“I feel dead inside. I feel empty inside,” added the heartbroken mother.

“There are just a lot of things that could have been prevented and shouldn’t have happened, and it cost my daughter her life.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the victim’s family with funeral expenses.