UniversityofIllinoisstudent killed by truck remembered as
'amazing young lady'
October
11, 2013|By Juan Perez Jr. and Ellen Jean Hirst | Tribune reporters
·
Bridgeport
"She'd start playing the piano, and I
could hear the scales," Becky Sipple said, holding back tears. "It
was wonderful. I'd just turn off everything and listen to her play."
A graduate ofWhitneyYoungMagnetHigh School, Liu's short life came to
an end Wednesday as she strolled with another young woman on a beautiful fall
morning near the campus of theUniversityofIllinoisat
Urbana-Champaign.
The women, both students, were hit by a pickup
truck that careened over a curb and struck them on the sidewalk. Liu, 20, was
pronounced dead atCarleFoundationHospitalinUrbana.
Spandana Mantravadi, also 20, was injured and also taken to the hospital.
The dark 1993 Chevrolet pickup had been seen
by witnesses driving erratically for almost a mile before the crash, blowing
out a tire and sideswiping another vehicle, police said. The driver, Willie
Craft Sr., 58, ofUrbana,
was cited for driving without insurance and improper lane usage. Blood tests
were taken and could lead to additional charges, saidUrbanapolice Sgt. Dan Morgan.
After his truck struck the women along Lincoln
Avenue, Craft drove several more blocks before driving onto a 3-foot retaining
wall and came to a stop a few blocks away, Morgan said.
In 2005, Craft was cited for driving without
insurance and disregarding a traffic signal,ChampaignCountyState's Attorney Julia
Rietz said. In the late 1980s and in 1990, he received tickets for speeding.
Liu, an active student at Whitney Young, where
she graduated with a 4.06 grade-point average, had recently switched her major
at theU.ofI.to agricultural and consumer
economics, a spokeswoman with the college said.
Liu's academic adviser, Jessa Barnard, taught
a nonrequired Careers in Agribusiness class Liu was enrolled in.
"She had really been someone who stood
out to me as someone who was very excited about these opportunities,"
Barnard said. "One of the things that just really struck me was she had a
very patient and calm demeanor. She never seemed too overwhelmed. She always
seemed very composed. She always did a good job of expressing her thoughts in
great self-awareness."
InChicago,
Liu was a spokeswoman, volunteer and intern for the Chinese Fine Arts Society,
helping out at nursing homes, libraries and society functions, said Julie Tiao
Ma, the society's board president.
"Why would such a wonderful kid be the
one that gets hit by a truck, you know?" Tiao Ma wondered. "Why would
just such a lovely, lovely person be gone?"
Sipple said the Liu family bought their modest
brick home inBridgeport,
where she is a tenant, when Liu was a toddler and moved into the second floor.
"This is terrible," Sipple said,
standing in the doorway of the home. "Mimi was a lovely girl, absolutely
lovely girl. I've known her since she was about 3. She was brilliant."
She remembered Liu walking through the home's
hallways, counting numbers in English and Chinese. The little girl quickly grew
into a talented musician, her neighbor said.
Tiao Ma described Liu
as "an incredible pianist" who won many competitions. Liu performed
piano solos live on WFMT-FM's Introductions series for
young performers. She played "Red Flowers Blooming All Over the
Mountain" by Wang Jian Zhong in 2009, when she was 16.
WFMT planned to replay the performance
Thursday.
"The pure harmonies and rich texture
helps keep the original full character but at the same time, the transcription
makes full use of the piano's expressive power," Liu said on the air in
her introduction. "This piece … begins very calmly and then in the middle
it has this waltz, very dancelike feel and then it ends in extravagance."
"It just makes you realize life is so
short," Tiao Ma said. "You have to appreciate your kids, you have to
appreciate when a kid like Mimi comes into your life."
"I think she could've been
anything," she said as she began to cry. "I can't believe she's gone."
