The family of Lara Guglielmi, the teen who was allegedly left to die in a crash in Melbourne’s west, have delivered a tragic assessment of the final moments of her life.
The 19-year-old was travelling in an allegedly stolen car on Mahoneys Road in Thomastown at around 1am on Sunday when the Kia Cerato collided with a Mercedes SUV.
Despite the best efforts of police and ambulance crews, Ms Guglielmi could not be revived.
Investigators believe another person was driving the Cerato but allegedly fled the scene before police arrival.
Ms Guglielmi’s stepmother, Nicoleta Guglielmi, told NCA NewsWire her daughter “was loyal to the wrong people”,and that her choice of being in the car ultimately “cost her her life”.
“I pray the person ... hands themselves in.”
Mrs Guglielmi said while her daughter made a “bad choice” getting into the car, it shouldn’t have cost her her life.
“She was loyal to the wrong people, she would never dob on anybody, she tried to help people,” she said.
Ms Guglielmi was doing a beauty course and had just celebrated Valentine’s Day, with her first boyfriend, who she had been dating for only six months.
“Her boyfriend found out this morning,” Mrs Guglielmi said.
“He’s devastated.”
Mr and Mrs Guglielmi were in bed when they were woken by police knocking on the door early Sunday morning.
“We’re literally just trying to hold it together,” Mrs Guglielmi said.
“She was loved dearly and fiercely by her family, and had her whole life ahead of her.
“No parent should have to bury their child, ever.”
Mrs Guglielmi described the incredibly special bond between the 19-year-old and her father as one she had “never witnessed in (her) life”.
“Their souls were just connected, he knew everything about her and vice versa.”
Ms Guglielmi is survived by an older sister and brother, who were both outside of Victoria at the time of the accident.
A female passenger from the Cerato, who Mrs Guglielmi said was known to her daughter, and a man and a woman from the Mercedes were taken to hospital with injuries while police continue to search for the driver of the Cerato.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, with information or dashcam vision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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