Doctors Deliver Baby After Woman Is Hit by Car

An Anaheim woman and her baby were in critical condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange on Thursday after being struck by a car about midnight, police said.

Blanca Salazar, 19, was eight months’ pregnant when the accident occurred. In addition to treatment for leg fractures, she underwent an emergency Caesarean section to deliver a baby girl, said Anaheim Sgt. Joe Vargas.

The baby remained in critical condition Thursday evening at the neonatal intensive care unit, said medical center spokeswoman Kim Pine.

Police and paramedics were called to the 2800 block of West Ball Road at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, where they found Salazar lying in the street.

Authorities believe Salazar was crossing the street in the middle of the block returning home from a late-night stroll when she was struck by a 1994 Honda Prelude driven by Vinh Tuong Hoang Le, 19, of Anaheim. She was thrown against the windshield of the car and rolled into the street when Le stopped his car, said traffic investigator Vince Delgado.

Police do not believe Le was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident, nor do they suspect he exceeded the 40-mph speed limit on West Ball Road, Delgado said.

The accident follows by a day the death of a year-old girl who wandered away from the frontyard of her La Palma home to a neighbor’s driveway--just as a 29-year-old man was backing his car out of the driveway.

Officers were called to the 5800 block of Crocus Circle at 4:28 p.m. Wednesday. The girl, Jane Lee, was struck by a 1989 Toyota Tercel driven by Gregory Curtis and dragged about 15 feet, said La Palma Sgt. Al Halstead.

The baby was taken to La Palma Intercommunity Hospital where she died from her injuries at 5:19 p.m., officials said.

One week after celebrating the girl’s first birthday, the family must prepare for a funeral, said father Haengsoo Lee.