On Sunday evening, two children were killed after being struck by a vehicle on State Route 78 in Vista, as confirmed by the California Highway Patrol. The crash occurred around 6:10 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of SR-78 east of Mar Vista.
According to the Vista Fire Department, the children’s mother pulled over after luggage fell from the car. The children reportedly got out of the car to retrieve the bags when they were hit by an oncoming vehicle. CHP officers reported that the victims, a 10-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl, had been passengers in a green GMC Yukon SUV that had pulled onto the right shoulder. The CHP also stated that the children were on foot in the eastbound lanes of SR-78 when they were hit by a white Nissan Sentra that had been traveling in the No. 3 lane.
The driver of the Sentra, a 41-year-old, stayed at the scene. The driver of the Yukon, identified as 33-year-old Sandra Ortiz from Vista, was arrested in connection with the incident on charges of DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and child endangerment.