ESCONDIDO (CBS 8) – A 27-year-old pregnant driver suffered life-threatening injuries when her car was hit by a vehicle driven by a suspected drunk driver, who tried to flee the scene early Sunday morning in Escondido.
The crash occurred at 2 a.m. June 5 at the intersection of Highway 78 and Broadway, Escondido police Lt. Mike Kearney said in a statement.
Escondido police officers said the driver of a Ford F-150 truck, identified as 33-year-old Jose Uriostegui, slammed into a Nissan Altima.
A witness told CBS News 8 that he tried to run away from the scene:
"The guy from the truck parked here, we couldn't figure out who was driving the truck, who was in the car. I went over to the car and lifted the air bags, there was a lady, she was pregnant, she's yelling ‘oh God I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant.’”
Authorities said Lucrecia Vasquez, who is six-months pregnant, was traveling northbound on Broadway at SR-78 when she collided with a black Ford F-150. The driver of the truck, Uriostegui from Escondido, then took off but didn't get far due to the efforts of two Good Samaritans.
"So me and James start chasing this guy. I'm trying to dial 911, James catches him, wraps him up, grabs him and we drag him up onto the street where the police see him and apprehend him,” continued the witness.
Vasquez was transported to Palomar Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Her 24-year-old female passenger was hospitalized with moderate, but not life-threatening injuries, Kearney said. Her name was not released.
Uriostegui was arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of felony drunken driving, felony hit and run and driving without a license. He sustained minor injuries in the collision.
