Funeral for Ukrainian girl killed in hit-and-run held in Montreal

The funeral service for seven-year-old Ukrainian evacuee Mariia Legenkovska was held in Montreal on Wednesday morning.

Legenkovska, whose family moved to Montreal this year to flee the Russian invasion, was killed while walking to school with her brother and sister on Dec. 13 by a driver who didn’t stop to assist her.

Her funeral service took place at Saint Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in the city’s Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie borough at 10 a.m.

“The Ukrainian community is in shock and disbelief and it’s a period of mourning for sure,” said Michael Shwec, President of the Montreal chapter of the Canadian Ukrainian Congress. “We know that the family is strong and they are feeling the support of not just the Ukrainian community that was here yesterday for the service, but the Quebec community, the whole Montreal community that comes to rally in support of the family. They feel it and they are very very appreciative of that fact.”

“They lost their daughter. They came here to seek refuge and they recognize it as a horrible accident. The family is planning on staying in Montreal, making their life in Montreal. It’s just a very tough start to that beginning.”

Rev. Volodymyr Kouchnir, the head priest at the church, says the Alfred Dallaire funeral complex offered to cover the costs of the services and the Mount Royal Cemetery offered to pay for the girl’s burial plot.

Legenkovska’s father, Andrii Lehenkovskyi, is a fighter with Ukraine’s territorial defence forces and travelled to Montreal for his daughter’s funeral.

He spoke at the service, through a translator.

“It’s extremely important, the mother was alone here with the children. Even with the community that’s here it’s important to have family and her husband is very strong, he is a super person also and he’s able to have that grounding effect for the mother and the children,” added Shwec.

“It’s a real tragedy that happened for this family, for all our community here, for Ukrainian community around the world,” said one woman who attended the funeral. “I see the people supporting very much here in Montreal. We just pray that it never happen again to anyone else. I can’t imagine the mother, broken that family, the father…children, siblings, we just pray for them to get through this tragedy, be strong. We pray for the soul of the beautiful angel that leaving us.”

“I couldn’t not come. I couldn’t not come. We all rocked by this news, it’s our tragedy too. We want to support this family. To say goodbye, because they are new here, even they don’t have anyone here to say goodbye,” she added.

Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 45, fled the scene of the crash but turned himself in later that day. He is charged with one count of failing to stop after an accident resulting in death.

Outside Saint Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral for Mariia Legenkovska’s funeral on Dec. 21, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Pamela Pagano)

Inside Saint Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral for Mariia Legenkovska’s funeral on Dec. 21, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Pamela Pagano)