PICTURED: Mother-of-two, 39, killed when a driver, 89, allegedly lost control of his Holden Commodore and smashed into a cafe injuring nine others - as the motorist is consoled at the scene
- A mother, 39, died in hospital after being hit by a car at a cafe on Friday
- Liz Albornoz was having coffee with other mums after doing the school dropoff
- Car ploughed into a restaurant at a shopping centre in North Epping on Friday
- The elderly driver, known as Keith, was seen being comforted by paramedics
- Witnesses called for older drivers to be banned from getting behind the wheel
- Do you now more? Email tips@dailymail.com
A kindhearted mother-of-two has been named as the woman killed when an 89-year-old driver allegedly lost control of his car and smashed into a cafe in Sydney.
Liz Albornoz, 39, was sitting outside with her friends when a Holden Commodore smashed into Ta One Thai restaurant in North Epping, in Sydney's north west, just before 10.15am on Friday.
Witnesses said Mrs Albornoz was pinned to a brick wall and suffered critical injuries to her abdomen. She was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital but died a a short time later.
She leaves behind a husband and two daughters.
Nine others were injured after the elderly motorist's car ploughed into the mothers' group, who were having coffee after dropping their kids off at Epping North Public School.
Mother-of-two Liz Albornoz was hit and killed by a car outside a cafe in North Epping on Friday
The mother-of-two was with her friends when a Holden Commodore smashed into them about 10am
The elderly driver, known only as 'Keith,' was seen being comforted by emergency workers and bystanders at the scene while police assessed the crashed car
'Keith' was seen chatting to police at the scene, after allegedly losing control of his car, killing a mother-of-two
Detective Inspector Mark Christie said: 'They were just enjoying a meeting together, having coffee, and they were struck by this vehicle.'
Mrs Albornoz worked as an events manager for not-for-profit organisation Social Ventures Australia.
'I have always been passionate about helping others and looking for opportunities to volunteer,' her business profile states.
'At SVA I am able to bring together my interests and skills and work with people who share the same values. We all care about building a fairer Australia.'
Ms Albornoz was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital but died a a short time later
Dozens of flowers and other tributes were laid by mourners outside the cafe where Ms Albornoz died
The elderly driver, known only as Keith, was seen being comforted by emergency workers and bystanders at the scene while police assessed the crashed car.
It is understood the elderly driver was attempting to park in a disabled spot when he accelerated forward, smashing over a wall, through a garden bed and hitting the group of mothers who were sitting at a table.
Det Insp Christie described the scene of the accident as 'horrendous and chaotic' for emergency services when they arrived.
'It appears that he's pulled into the parking spot and then there's been some sort of collision after that but we don't know the circumstances yet, they're still under investigation,' he said.
'It's a very tragic set of circumstances that have occurred here today.'
Meanwhile, shocked witnesses called for older drivers to be banned from getting behind the wheel.
Baker Sath Thep, from nearby Marcos Hot Bread store, and local newsagent Peter Yaang said Keith was well-known in the North Epping community.
'He's an old man and everyone knows him around here. He's a nice man too,' Mr Yaang told Daily Mail Australia.
Floral tributes are seen outside the cafre where a 39-year-old woman was killed when a car ploughed into the front of the cafe, in North Epping
People gather outside the cafe where a 39-year-old woman was killed
Butcher Ryan Nicholls of Uppercuts Butchery, which is near the cafe where the tragedy happened, said the driver was a regular at the shopping complex.
'He's a beautiful old man and he's been through a tough time. Last year, his wife was put in a local nursing home and he always visited her before she passed away a couple months ago,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
'He still comes in every week. Everyone knows Keith as a gentlemen, a good bloke you know.
'Every Christmas, he buys these little watermelons and he hands them out to people with Christmas cards. That's Keith's little thing, he gives everyone a watermelon.'
'Everyone knows Keith, he's always coming in the shop,' Mr Nicholls said.
A woman broke down at the scene where a mum, 39, was killed when a car struck a group of mother's having coffee
The Holden Commodore smashed into the shopfront at the corner of Malton Road and Roma Street, shortly before 10.15am on Friday
Butcher Ryan Nicholls of Uppercuts Butchery, which is near the cafe where the tragedy happened, said the driver was a regular at the shopping complex
'Physically he wasn't hurt by the crash but he was very shaken'.
Locals told Daily Mail Australia Keith's wife went into a nursing last year before dying two months ago.
Dozens of flowers and other tributes were laid by mourners outside the cafe where Ms Albornoz died.
A friend of the deceased mother, Monica Galouzis, told Nine News she had seen the group earlier sitting outside.
Share this article
'They were sitting at a different table earlier. They must have moved around for the sun,' she said.
'Most mums from North Epping Public come at least once a week, and we catch up after school drop offs.
'It's really heartbreaking.'
Multiple ambulance crews treated nine other people at the scene, with four taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Police assessed the crashed car and chatted to witnesses on Friday at North Epping
The driver, an 89-year-old man known only as 'Keith', was taken to Ryde Hospital for mandatory testing
Witnesses said the design of the carpark had caused problems in the past.
'It's happened a few times when someone has tried to park their car in the disabled spot and mounted the curb,' a witness said.
'They put the accelerator down too hard and mount the curb.'
Epping local Leoni McCulluch was walking her dog Toffee on the opposite side of the street when she heard screaming from the cafe.
'I heard some screaming, I thought that someone had lost their dog because I saw a dog running across the road,' she said.
'I realised once I went across the road that it wasn't that simple. I was there to see the car pulled back.
She said the area was a common meeting place for all the mothers after school.
'I was there last week having a cup of hot chocolate with some friends,' she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Police and fire fighters were at the scene, which was taped off on Friday night
Paramedics attend to a woman at the scene of a crash where 10 people were injured
'If I didn't have Toffee and I wasn't rushing around all morning it might have been me.'
Shocked locals had gathered outside the cafe at 3pm, heartbroken by the loss.
The mother was 'one of the sweetest people I know', her neighbour told 9news.
'She's just lovely.'
NSW Ambulance Superintendent Steve Vaughan said two of the patients taken to hospital had leg injuries and two others had minor injuries.
He said crews arrived to find 'a number of patients spread across the scene'.
'When you get a call like this, you can't help but think the worst, then all of a sudden your training kicks in and you find yourself thinking about the best way to triage and treat the patients, while managing the scene,' he said.
Pictured: A broken chair at the scene of the crash which left 10 people injured
A woman is taken to an ambulance after a car ploughed through a cafe in Sydney
