Garden Grove Woman, 2 Others, Die in Crash

A Garden Grove, Calif., woman and her daughter and the daughter’s niece were killed Friday when their car was struck head-on by an out-of-control vehicle on a wet parkway, state police said.

The driver of the runaway car was in critical condition and three other members of the visiting California family were seriously injured in the 1:20 p.m. accident, said Peter Person, state police investigator.

Person said Vasiliki Alexopoulos, 37, of Queens was westbound on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island when her car spun out of control, leaped a grassy center divider and then plowed into the eastbound car carrying six family members. Alexopoulos was thrown from her car when it hit the other vehicle.

Killed in the accident were the driver of the eastbound vehicle, Sonia DeFilipps, 48, of 800 Daniel St., Woodmere, N.Y.; her niece, Jillian Cooper, 7, of Signal Hill, Calif., and her mother, Esther Ross, 70, of Garden Grove, Calif., who was pronounced dead at the scene. DeFilipps and her niece died at the Nassau County Medical Center at about 7 p.m., Person said.

He said Jillian Cooper’s mother, Candy Cooper, 34, also of Signal Hill, suffered multiple fractures and was hospitalized. Cooper’s two sons, 19-month-old Jordan and 5-year-old Jared, were admitted to the medical center.