Do Dzung/Nguoi Viet
SANTA ANA, Calif. – At 4:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Santa Ana Police Department responded to a call where an elderly Vietnamese couple were hit by a car while waiting on a bench at the bus stop. It happened on the corner of McFadden Ave. and Center St., across from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana, 1100 S. Center St. Both victims were transported to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where Dien Van Le, 74, died of his injuries. His wife, Em Thi Nguyen, is listed in serious but stable condition.
The bench where the elderly couple were sitting was upended when a driver careened into the pair at 4:40 a.m. Tuesday morning. (Photo: Do Dzung/Nguoi Viet)
According to Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department, the two were sitting on the bench at a bus stop across from the church when a car driving eastbound on McFadden Ave. crossed through several lanes, climbed onto the curb and hit the elderly couple.
“The driver continued driving through the grass, and does a u-turn, goes back in front of the two victims, who were laying in the street,” Cpl. Bertagna said. “He does not stop, does not identify himself but in fact, flees the scene,”
Due to the language barrier, police have been unable to gather more details but have sent a Vietnamese-speaking officer to the hospital to communicate with the victim.
“One witness came forward and described the car as a Jeep Cherokee, but initial investigation of the tire marks suggests it is a type of Nissan SUV,” Cpl. Bertagna said.
The accident happened on McFadden Ave. and Center St. in Santa Ana, Calif. (Photo: Do Dzung/Nguoi Viet)
Officers will request security camera footage from both the Southwest Senior Center and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church to aid in the investigation. Police sprayed red paint to mark the path of the vehicle that caused the accident, and spread crime tape around the area to cordon it off.
“Accidents happen everywhere,” said Cpl. Bertagna,“but when a person causes an accident and leaves the victims in the street, it’s not normal.”
