Toddler Killed, 10 Hurt in 4-Vehicle Accident

A toddler was killed Friday on Otay Mesa Road when a pickup driven by a Santee man swerved into another pickup in which the child was riding, police said. Ten other people suffered injuries in the four-vehicle collision, in which one driver may have fainted.

Cynthia Limon, 23 months, was killed as she sat with her parents and 5-year-old sister in the seat of their pickup. The girl was the only member of the Valinda, Calif., family who was not wearing a safety restraint, Deputy Coroner Robert Engel said.

The girl was taken by Life Flight helicopter from the scene of the accident, in the 6500 block of Otay Mesa Road, at 1:35 p.m. She was pronounced dead at Sharp Memorial Hospital with massive head injuries, Engel said.

Cynthia’s mother, Herminia Limon, suffered multiple fractures of her limbs, Engel said. Gerardo Limon was driving when another pickup collided head-on with his vehicle. The Limon family lives in the 15000 block of Maple Grove Avenue in Valinda, in eastern Los Angeles County.

Police are investigating whether Carmelo Ofria, 49, of Santee may have blacked out at the wheel of his pickup as he drove east near Heritage Road. Ofria’s truck swerved into the westbound lane of traffic, striking one pickup and then colliding with the Limon pickup. Ofria’s truck then hit a third vehicle before it came to a halt.