Mom of 5 Wasn't Supposed to Be Working When Car Crashed into Grocery Store, Killing Her and 2 Others

“Her kindness, dependability, and willingness to always help others defined who she was right until the very end,” a loved one wrote in a tribute

NEED TO KNOW

• A mom of five has been identified as one of three people who died after a car crashed into a Los Angeles grocery store on Feb. 5
• The woman had switched her shift after her colleague couldn’t make it in, according to loved ones
• Officials tell PEOPLE the crash appears to be accidental and no charges have been filed against the driver as of Monday, Feb. 9

A family is mourning a mom of five, who died after a vehicle crashed into a Los Angeles grocery store earlier this month.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, at 12:11 p.m. local time, officials responded to reports of a traffic collision at South Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue, according to a statement shared by the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

When first responders arrived, they learned that a silver sedan was a block away from the 99 Ranch Market when the vehicle struck a bicyclist before careening into numerous front-facing windows of the store's bakery, authorities said. 

“Firefighters immediately moved the car to free several trapped victims, then initiated triage and treatment,” the fire department said. 

Three people, who were inside the bakery at the time of the crash, were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Authorities later determined that two of those individuals worked at the store, while a third was a customer.

“We are heartbroken,” the grocery store wrote in a statement last week. “Our deepest condolences are with the families, loved ones, and colleagues of our team members who lost their lives, as well as with the family of the customer who passed away.”

Two of the victims have been identified as 42-year-old Deris Renoj — a beloved mother and grandmother, according to loved ones — and 28-year-old Zih Dao, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner confirms to PEOPLE.

They both died of blunt force trauma, and the manner of death has been ruled accidental, according to officials.

The third victim, a man in his 50s, will be identified once his family has been notified, the coroner said. 

Additional victims received treatment for their non-fatal injuries.

Loved ones described Renoj as the “heart of her family," according to a message on a GoFundMe set up to support her family and cover funeral expenses.

The mom of five and grandmother of six had celebrated her 42nd birthday just days before. 

Renoj, an employee of the business, was originally set to close the grocery store, but “selflessly” took the morning shift instead when a colleague wasn’t able to make it in.

“Her kindness, dependability, and willingness to always help others defined who she was right until the very end,” wrote the organizer, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Now, the woman’s family is struggling to find a way forward without the “loving daughter, sister, and aunt.”

“Birthdays will never be the same. Holidays will never be the same,” wrote the loved one. “Our lives have changed forever, and our hearts will always feel incomplete without her.”

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A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department says that the crash appears accidental. As of Monday, Feb. 9, no charges have been filed against the elderly female driver.

An investigation is ongoing.

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