Valley Center

A 37-year-old woman was killed Wednesday night, and her young son suffered minor injuries after their car skidded off a Valley Center road and crashed into a hillside, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP officer Ralph Martinez reported that the motorist, Helen Hart of Valley Center, was westbound about 45 m.p.h. on Lilac Road just south of Anthony Road when, for an unknown reason, she skidded off the right side of the highway. The speed limit in the area is 55 m.p.h.

The driver attempted to get back on the road but lost control and skidded sideways on the eastbound and westbound lanes, Martinez said. The car hit the embankment of a hill and turned over on its driver’s side.

Martinez said Hart was found pinned under the car and apparently was not wearing a seat belt. She was dead at the scene with massive head injuries.

Her 3-year-old son, Jed, suffered cuts and bruises to his head and upper body after he landed on his mother’s legs. He was taken to Children’s Hospital and was discharged late Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“He was just lucky he landed on top of his mother,” Martinez said.