DES MOINES, Iowa — Yuliia Bohatkina hasn’t been able to sleep at night ever since she learned her car was stolen and involved in a fatal crash in downtown Des Moines.
Last Wednesday around 1 a.m., a state trooper attempted to stop the car for speeding but it continued on. Iowa State Patrol said the driver had two warrants out for his arrest.
“I’m lost and I don’t know how to speak or feel about it,” Bohatkina said.
Bohatkina’s car was stolen from her apartment complex and the suspected thief crashed it into a downtown building, located at 7th Street and Grand Avenue. The incident killed a 16-year-old passenger and injured the other four occupants.
“I don’t understand the goal of the people who did it and I’m still in shock from it,” Yuliia said.
Just last November, Bohatkina, who came to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2022, lost a different Hyundai.
“A young lady in another car didn’t stop at the stop sign and ran into me,” Bohatkina said.
To top it all off, month-to-month is always tight for Bohatkina because she sends money to her family still living in Ukraine. To help alleviate some of the burden, her boss, Ryan Cooper, created a GoFundMe to try and raise $8,000 to buy her a new set of wheels.
“It was something where we’re in the community of Valley Junction and we all really help each other out,” Cooper said.
Nearly a week later the deadly downtown crash remains a nightmare that still haunts Bohatkina.
“I know that a person died in my car, and I just can’t let it go,” Bohatkina said. “I think about it all the time.”
Bohatkina said a gun was found inside her car. She said the suspects told authorities that it belonged to her, but it did not.
Local 5 checked back in with Iowa State Patrol which said it is still investigating the crash and hasn’t yet made any arrests.