Car Jumps Curb, Kills 3-Year-Old

A car jumped a curb at a busy intersection in downtown Santa Ana on Thursday morning, killing a 3-year-old girl and seriously injuring her 11-month-old brother, authorities said.

The accident occurred in a busy area of Santa Ana that has been plagued with pedestrian fatalities in the past few years.

Witnesses said the driver of a Mercedes ran a red light at North Main Street and Santa Ana Boulevard, hitting another car before swerving onto a sidewalk, where a family was waiting to cross the street. Police are investigating but haven’t filed any charges.

“He hit my girl,” said Maria Martinez, who had watched helplessly as her children were struck by the car. “He took my girl.”

Minutes after her children had been taken away in separate ambulances, the crying mother picked up her baby’s blanket and teddy-bear backpack from the mangled stroller on the sidewalk.The daughter, identified as Jennifer Martinez, died instantly. Her brother, Brando, was rushed to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange and was listed in stable condition, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Baltazar De La Riva.

The drivers of the two cars in the accident also were injured.

Santa Ana--with a large immigrant population, many of whom walk instead of drive--has one of the highest pedestrian accident rates in the state. The city has adopted a variety of programs in recent years to reduce accidents, from a crackdown on jaywalkers to installing traffic medians and crosswalks. There have been three fatal accidents involving pedestrians so far this year, compared with two for the same period in 2001.

A few years ago, UC Irvine studies found that Santa Ana had the highest pedestrian fatality rate in California. In 2000, the city recorded six fatalities and about 100 pedestrian injuries. “Any time you have an area where a large percentage of the people walk from one place to the other, you’ll find more accidents involving pedestrians,” De La Riva said.

While it is common for pedestrians to be injured jaywalking or after ignoring crossing signals, this accident differed in that the victims were waiting on the sidewalk.

“We have witnesses that indicate that [the Mercedes driver] may have ran the light,” De La Riva said.

Police said the intersection is not prone to accidents. But the Rev. Lance E.A. Allen, who heard the crash from his office at the nearby Presbyterian church, said accidents occur regularly at the crossing.

Nora Griego, who was driving by the intersection when the accident occurred, accompanied the distraught mother.

“It happened so fast,” Martinez said dazedly. They were joined by Martinez’s cousin, who held her and tried to console her before taking her to the hospitals to identify her dead daughter and visit her injured son.

“He ... took my daughter,” Martinez said, sobbing. “I’m going to kill myself.”

“No, no!” Griego said. “Your baby needs you.”