Car Plows Into Child, Mother

A woman and her son were seriously injured Friday after a driver pulling out of a parking space in Stanton apparently lost control of his vehicle and struck them as they walked along a strip mall, police said.

The woman, Aurora Sanchez, 36, of Anaheim, and her 5-year-old son were taken by paramedics to UCI Medical Center in Orange, both in serious but stable condition.

Police said the youngster suffered head injuries, and the woman had an injury to a hip.

Sanchez’s 3-year-old son, who also was walking with her, had cuts on his forehead and some bruises, investigators said.

Police said the driver, a 90-year-old man whose name was withheld pending a full investigation, left Take 5 Food and Spirits at 10570 Magnolia Ave. shortly after noon.

An employee at Take 5 said the man comes in every day to have a cup of coffee and watch the news.

The driver, who was alone in a small BMW, told police he had backed out of the parking space and was turning when the accelerator stuck and the car lurched forward.

The car struck a cement and wood support beam, tearing it away from the sidewalk and overhang. The vehicle then hit the three pedestrians, investigators said.

The BMW was traveling about 45 mph, Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said.

The driver was shaken up and was taken back to Take 5, where sheriff’s deputies questioned him.

A friend later drove him to his home a few blocks away.

“It’s hard to say what caused the accident,” Amormino said. “It could have been mechanical problems with the vehicle.”

The police investigation will include an inspection of the car.

Amormino said a city engineer will inspect the site to see if apartments above the shopping center’s stores have any structural damage.