Mishel Eder and MMA fighter Marcus Kowal with their 15-month-old son Liam, who was killed after being mowed down by a drunk driver.
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Fellow fighter Christos Giagos posted images of Liam and his parents to his Instagram page with the message: “I’m seriously at a loss for words, life can be so unfair”.
Marcus Kowal, a California mixed martial artist who has worked with celebrities, posted a heart wrenching note on Facebook as well-wishes flooded in. Hawthorne is near Los Angeles International Airport, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.
Investigators learned that 72-year-old Donna Marie Higgins drove through the crosswalk, hitting both of the kids and fled the scene of the accident.
The Go Fund Me site established to help the family says the tragedy occurred on September 3, 2016, at approximately 4:15 p.m.
Liam’s 15-year-old aunt was pushing the baby in a stroller inside a Hawthorne crosswalk when they were both struck by an SUV on Saturday. The baby’s aunt was recovering from leg injuries and was said to be in stable condition.
Tragically, he died several hours later. They boxed her in until police arrived, Hawthorne police Lt. Ti Goetz said. “Hawthorne Patrol Officers responded to the scene where they located two injured juveniles lying in the street near the crosswalk”, the release says. He’s a little fighter.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the Kowals.
“They make me smile”, he wrote. As Marcus’s business associate and friend, I am starting this GoFundMe to organize our support.
As of Monday night, more than $53,000 had been raised.
Donna Marie Higgins mugshot.
Emergency services found Liam “pulseless and not breathing” in his pram, before he was rushed to an intensive care unit and later died. Higgins allegedly fled the scene and was arrested on hit-and-run and DUI charges, the release stated. Witnesses, however, followed her SUV and surrounded it about a block away. Witnesses followed Higgins for about a block until they could block her in until police arrived.
The child is son to Marcus Kowal, a champion MMA fighter and the victor of numerous world titles. In one, father and son build sandcastles on the beach. He even died at one point but they brought him back.
Supportive comments flooded social media for Kowal and Eder.
Our thoughts are with the Kowal family at this time. You are a warrior and a gentleman who has so much to offer this world. “His spirit will live on”. I’m so devastated for you.
He is the CEO of Systems Training Center Encino. After studying under Rickson Gracie, Rafael Cordeiro, and UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, he made his professional MMA debut in 2009 and was competing for major promotions, including Strikeforce, shortly thereafter. As the owner of @systemstrainingcenter and @systemstcencino Marcus is a huge part of our family. In addition, he is the Host and MMA specialist for StudioMMA and MMANytt.
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Jessica McBride is a Heavy contributor. She could be charged with vehicular manslaughter, reports say. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications.
