Fatal Valentine’s Day accident in Covina leaves surviving woman grieving her longtime boyfriend

By Amy Powell

Click here for updates on this story

    COVINA, Calif. (KABC) — A Covina couple’s romantic stroll on Valentine’s Day ended in heartbreak after the duo was hit by a car, killing the man and knocking his girlfriend unconscious.

Carmen Gonzalez and her boyfriend, 65-year-old Richard Boerger, were walking on the 830 block of west Edna Place at around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 when they were struck by a car.

“I didn’t see any lights, I didn’t hear any noise that would alert that there’s a car behind me and the next thing I know is that his voice stopped,” said Gonzalez.

Boerger was pushed into the curb and hit his head while Gonzalez was knocked unconscious.

When she woke up, she saw Boerger on the ground severely injured.

“I looked back and I see his head against the curb and severe head injury,” said Gonzalez.

The driver stopped and stayed at the scene. Boerger was transported and pronounced dead at the hospital.

Gonzalez said she lost the man she described as the love of her life on Valentine’s Day.

“He was holding my hand and on Valentine’s Day being happy of our relationship and just wanting to spend an evening at home,” said Gonzalez.

They had been together for eight years, meeting and becoming a couple after suffering devastating tragedies, including the loss of Boerger’s wife and daughter and the death of Gonzalez’s daughter in a car accident.

She said they enjoyed taking walks and traveling together.

“I’m heartbroken. This person I loved so much. He was my partner and we had a lot of goals for our future,” said Gonzalez. “He was going to be a grandfather next month.”

Gonzalez said she needs answers and while she mourns Boerger’s death, she hopes to bring awareness to prevent another tragedy.

“I would like a full-on investigation. I want to know why this happened,” she said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.