Teen killed in car collision
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Deepa Bharath
A 19-year-old girl died Friday night and her toddler son and teen
brother were injured when she pulled out of her apartment driveway
into the path of a moving pickup truck, police officials said.
Norma Ruiz-Zanabia of Costa Mesa was pronounced dead at the scene
by paramedics, Orange County Supervising Deputy Coroner Larry
Esslinger said.
“She died of blunt force trauma from the accident,” he said. An
autopsy was completed Saturday morning, Esslinger said.
The accident occurred in the 1100 block of Victoria Street at
about 4:15 p.m., Costa Mesa police officials said.
Her 2-year-old son and 15-year-old brother, who remained
unidentified because they are minors, were taken to Western Medical
Center in Santa Ana, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Bob Durham.
The woman’s brother was sitting in the front passenger seat and
her son was buckled up in a car seat in the rear, he said.
The 2-year-old boy suffered a skull fracture and was bleeding,
while the 15-year-old boy complained of severe pain, Durham said.
Police officials have not received any updates on the condition of
either victim, he said.
Hospital officials could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
The accident occurred as Ruiz-Zanabia pulled out of her apartment
complex, going forward, onto Victoria Street, Durham said.
The driver of the Dodge pickup truck hit Ruiz-Zanabia’s 1989 Honda
Accord, broadsiding the car on the driver’s side, he said.
“The woman did not see the truck coming,” Durham said. “And the
truck driver couldn’t stop in time to prevent the accident.”
Police are still in the process of wrapping up the investigation,
he said. Excessive speed or alcohol were not factors in the crash,
Durham said.
It’s hard to say what caused the unfortunate incident, he said.
“It was sunset and the sun was probably in the truck driver’s
eyes,” Durham said. “But she should’ve had a clear view of the truck.
It’s hard to tell what spurred her decision.”
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