Woman hit by car crash debris dies

COSTA MESA — A 23-year-old pedestrian has died of head injuries sustained when she was struck by debris from a car crash near South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa police confirmed Wednesday.

Jessica Hoke, a recent UC Irvine graduate and Santa Ana resident, died Friday — three days after she was hit in the head by debris at 8 a.m. as she was standing at a corner and waiting to cross the street, police said.

The Nov. 30 crash allegedly was caused by a 17-year-old driver who ran a red light in a pickup truck and collided into two cars near the intersection of Sunflower and Stevens avenues.

Hoke was walking to work at South Coast Plaza, her uncle said in an interview. She had recently been hired by the H&M store at South Coast and had dreamed of moving on to working for H&M in New York, he said.

No charges have been brought against the juvenile driver, and the investigation is ongoing, police said Wednesday.

Hoke, a San Diego native, received a degree in literary journalism and served as a radio station host of “The Exposure,” which broadcast from Irvine-based KUCI on Friday afternoons in the winter and spring of 2010.

“KUCI extends its condolences to Jessica’s family and friends,” a statement from KUCI read. “In her short stay at KUCI, Jessica brought tremendous inspiration and joy to the station.”

In addition to being passionate about exposing friends and family to new and diverse styles of music, Hoke also loved writing and photography, said her uncle, David Hoke.

Hoke’s organs were donated through One Legacy, a transplant donor network.

Hoke spent much of her life helping people and would have wanted that to continue after her death, her uncle said.

“She was selfless,” he said. “She always worked at making people better, which was something she was good at … she wasn’t pushy about it, but she had a real gentle way of encouraging people to be their best.”

A memorial will take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Friday at the Gateway Plaza on the UCI campus near the library.

The memorial will celebrate Hoke’s life, not mourn her loss, David Hoke said.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be sent in her name to KUCI.

Daily Pilot staff writer Joseph Serna also contributed to this report.