Woman Lapses Into Coma After Latest Hit-and-Run
A female motorist was arrested Tuesday after an early morning hit-and-run traffic accident in South-Central Los Angeles that gravely injured a 53-year-old woman, the latest victim in a recent rash of similar incidents, police said.
Estella Noguera suffered massive head injuries after she was struck by a car as she attempted to cross Vernon Avenue near Hooper Avenue about 6:45 a.m., according to Los Angeles Police Department detectives. Noguera was in a coma at County-USC Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De LaCerda.
A few hours after the incident, police arrested Hortencia Cruz Lopez on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. Shortly after Noguera was hit, Lopez abandoned her gray 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass at Grand Avenue and 27th Street and attempted to report it stolen, according to police.
Witnesses are asked to call Det. Mike Kaden at the Central Traffic Division at (213) 485-3111.
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