A 'heart torn from immense loss': Mother of young hit-and-run victim gives first public address at daughter's visitation

“I love Montreal, and I am here now.”

That was the message Galyna Legenkovska relayed from her 7-year-old daughter, Mariia – a message she was reminded of while scrolling through her phone looking for old photos.

“One of the last pictures was a selfie of Mariia where she said ‘I love Montreal, and I am here now’. I think Mariia is going to be looking upon us, and all the children,” she told a group of reporters Tuesday, the day of her daughter’s visitation.

Wearing a red coat and a white hood, Legenkovska spoke publicly for the first time since her daughter Mariia was struck and killed by a vehicle in a hit-and-run.

The incident occurred one week prior, on Dec. 13. Maria had been walking to school with her siblings and was hit while crossing an intersection in a school zone. Police said they started receiving calls to 911 at 8:05 a.m.

Mariia’s death sparked an outpouring of mourning and anger towards what many considered to be an intersection poorly designed to handle the vulnerability of the neighbourhood – namely, the children on their way to school.

Shortly after news of Mariia’s death began to spread through the city, it was revealed by her neighbours that she and her family had arrived in Canada just months prior from Ukraine as refugees.

Maria Legenkovska, 7, was killed in a hit-and-run in Montreal two months after arriving in Canada as a Ukrainian refugee.

“My heart is torn from immense loss. It is impossible to describe my condition with only words,” said Legenkovska, addressing journalists through a translator at her daughter’s visitation at the Saint-Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

“But today, I feel the incredible warmth that comes from the words of support from Canadians.”

She also called on people to restrict their resentment against the alleged driver of the vehicle which struck her daughter.

Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 45, was charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death. He was released on bail forbidding him from driving or contacting the family. He has not been convicted.

“I understand it was not a voluntary crime and I know that he has a family too,” said Legenkovska. “I don’t want him to suffer.”

People surround a casket during a visitation at the Saint-Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral for Mariia Legenkovska, who was the victim of a hit-and-run on her way to school earlier this month in Montreal (Angela Mackenzie)

FATHER MAKES IT TO CANADA TO ATTEND FUNERAL

Multiple funding campaigns were launched to help the family get by as they planned for a funeral – something that proved to be extremely complicated, mainly because they wanted Mariia’s father to attend.

Andreii Legenkovska, her father, serves in Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces – a volunteer army. He stayed home when his wife and children came to Canada. After the death of her daughter, local Ukrainian officials had scrambled to get the paperwork in place to allow him to leave the country and attend the funeral.

After a busy week, Galyna confirmed he had made it to the church, and that he would stay in Montreal for a couple of months to support his family.

Soon, he will return to the forces to defend their home city of Okhtyrka, in Ukraine’s northeast, “where there is war action at the moment,” she added.

“I said ‘thank God he arrived safely,” said Saint-Sophie priest Volodymyr Kouchnir, who has maintained close contact with Mariia’s mother since the incident. “For him, its very very difficult.”

As for Galyna and her daughters, they will remain in Montreal for the time being.

“People have shown their kindness,” he continued. “Having gone through this very difficult time, they are very uplifted by the support they received.”