Santa Ana : Woman Injured as Car Hits Diesel Locomotive

A pregnant Santa Ana woman was injured early Saturday when the car in which she was riding crashed into a diesel locomotive. Her husband was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, police said.

Maria Elena Ruiz Gil, a 34-year-old housewife who is five months pregnant, was treated for cuts on her arms and thighs at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Lt. Robert Chavez said. She is listed in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Salvador Ruiz Gil, 32, a janitor, was not injured in the 8:30 a.m. high-speed collision, Lt. Chavez said.

Investigators said Gil was driving east on Warner Avenue at a high speed when he hit a northbound diesel locomotive on railroad tracks just east of the Costa Mesa Freeway. Gil’s car skidded 358 feet before slamming into a median island in the 1900 block of Warner Avenue, police said.

“The locomotive had minor damage, but the automobile was totaled,” Chavez said.

Gil is being held at the Orange County Jail.