A driver suspected of driving under the influence struck and killed a pregnant woman in Anaheim as she and her husband were walking on Tuesday evening.
The Sacramento Bee reports that the 23-year-old expectant mother was 35 weeks pregnant was walking with her husband on the sidewalk near the intersection of Katella Avenue and Bayless Street. At approximately 7:30 p.m., the driver of a white Jeep lost control of her vehicle, jumped the curb, and struck the pregnant woman.
The Jeep narrowly missed the woman’s husband, crashed through shrubbery before finally coming to a stop against a retaining wall.
Eyewitness David Orozco told police he heard a loud boom. ‘The husband, I think, was checking her pulse, and when he checked, he screamed,” Orozco said.
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According to a statement made to the media by Sgt. Shane Carringer of the Los Angeles Police Department, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was rushed to an area hospital to perform an emergency cesarean section. The baby did survive the crash but is listed in critical condition.
The driver of the Jeep, 40-year-old Courtney Pandolfi of Garden Grove, was placed under arrest for suspicion of manslaughter, felony driving under the influence of alcohol and driving on a suspended license.
Court records indicate that Pandolfi has two prior DUI convictions. Police say that the charge of manslaughter against Pandolfi may be upgraded to murder.
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