Woman arrested after fatal accident

Deepa Bharath

Police on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old Santa Ana woman who was

allegedly speeding and driving recklessly right before an accident on

Tuesday afternoon that killed her 18-month-old sister.

Araceli Vega has been charged with one count of vehicular

manslaughter and two felony counts of child endangerment.

At about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Vega was driving on Sunflower Avenue

heading to a day-care center to pick up her relatives’ children,

Costa Mesa Police Lt. John FitzPatrick said. Her infant sister, Diana

Vega, was in the back secured in her car seat, he said.

Witnesses told police that Vega was going 70 mph, about 30 miles

faster than the posted speed limit, FitzPatrick said. Investigators,

who analyzed the skid marks made by the car tires, determined that

Vega was “going at a very high rate of speed,” he said.

“The tests revealed that she was doing at least 62 [mph],” he

said.

Others who saw the accident told investigators that Vega was

weaving in and out of traffic and that she was tailgating at least

two vehicles, FitzPatrick said.

As she was trying to make an unsafe lane change, Vega lost control

of the vehicle, and her right front tire struck the curb, causing the

car to veer off the street, roll several times and crash into a

concrete wall about 125 feet away from the point of impact, he said.

The wall collapsed, smashing in the roof of the vehicle and

crushing the head of the little girl in the car seat, FitzPatrick

said. Diana Vega died on the scene, he said.

Araceli Vega was in a hurry to get to another day-care center,

which typically makes parents pay fines if there is a delay in

picking up their children, FitzPatrick said.

“It’s a tragic set of circumstances which could’ve been totally

prevented,” he said.

Such tragedies are common in Southern California, where children

spend a lot of time in cars, said Stephanie Tombrello, executive

director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

“A lot of parents are in so much of a hurry making those

connections in their lives between jobs and family,” she said. “But

they need to recognize what is really important and what’s not.”

Such tragedies are sad reminders for parents, Tombrello said.

“These incidents tell parents that they can’t cut corners when it

comes to their kids,” she said. “And that traffic rules must be

obeyed. They’re there for a reason.”

Vega was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the

incident, FitzPatrick said.

She is being held in Orange County jail in lieu of a $100,000 bail

and is expected to be arraigned Friday.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.