Woman 8 months pregnant dies in Anaheim crash; baby survives

A pedestrian more than eight months pregnant was killed in a crash in Anaheim on Tuesday night, Aug. 11, and another woman with two prior DUIs was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving while under the influence, police said.

The victim was walking on the sidewalk with her husband at about 7:36 p.m. when a Jeep jumped the curb on Katella Avenue, drove along the sidewalk for about 300 feet and struck her, police said. The jeep then crossed Bayless Street and crashed in front of a car wash.

A man in distress kneels and is comforted by bystanders following a crash on Katella Avenue near Bayless Street in Anaheim that left a pregnant 23-year-old Anaheim resident dead Tuesday, Aug. 11. The driver of the SUV involved in the collision suffered minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of DUI. (Image taken from footage by Brentt Sporn, OnScene TV)

The woman’s husband attempted to perform CPR before she was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center, where she died, Anaheim Police Sgt. Shane Carringer said.

The 23-year-old Anaheim resident was in her eighth month of pregnancy, he said. The baby was hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit as of 10:45 p.m. The mother’s identity was not immediately released.

David Orozco told a videographer at the scene he was in the area when he heard a loud boom and saw an SUV speeding past. He rushed to the scene of the collision and saw a woman lying on the ground with injuries to her head.

“It looked like she wasn’t breathing anymore,” Orozco said. “The husband was checking the pulse, and when he did check, he screamed.”

The 40-year-old woman behind the wheel of the SUV, Garden Grove resident Courtney Pandolfi, suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized, Carringer said. She was arrested for vehicular manslaughter, felony driving under the influence, and driving on a suspended license.

Police said she has two previous DUI arrests, so Pandolfi may face a murder charge.