Austin police have officially identified the two victims of a traffic accident from this weekend in South Austin.
Friends say it was 27-year-old Sergio Rangel who was behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang that ran a red light at Ben White and Woodward Boulevard. In the passenger seat was his 25-year-old fiancé Lauren Matyis, also known as Ari Said.
Austin police tell KVUE that while the investigation is in its infancy, there was nothing at the scene to indicate that alcohol was involved.
The revelation did little to ease the pain of loss to those who knew Lauren and who are now having to take care of the four-year-old daughter the single mother left behind.
“She was easy to love and easy to fall in love with. You just meet her, and you fall in love,” said Michael Charron, a close friend of Matyis’ who spoke to KVUE Wednesday evening.
According to another friend, Sarah Cooper, Matyis was "someone who always liked the underdog. She always fought for the person that no one else liked. She was always friends with the most random, outcast people.”
Rangel’s Mustang was T-boned by a Ford Excursion, which police say had the right of way at the time of the crash.
On Wednesday evening, friends of Rangel’s gathered at Headhunters Bar in Austin at 8th and Red River to remember the popular bartender. His funeral will be held Friday in his hometown of Needville, Texas.
Matyis’ funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, June 7 at 3 p.m. at the Bannockburn Baptist Church in South Austin.
Friends and family are setting up a trust fund for Matyis' daughter.
A fundraiser is planned for Tuesday evening, June 7 beginning at 7 p.m. at the food trailer behind The Crow Bar on South Congress. Friends say that 50 percent of the money raised in food sales will go towards the four-year-old’s trust fund.
For more information on how to donate, e-mail: avigailfund@gmail.com.
