LEMON GROVE WOMAN KILLED IN NEW YEAR’S ACCIDENT; DRIVER FACES CHARGES
January 1, 2010 (Lemon Grove) – Elaina Lynn Luquis Ortiz, 21, of Lemon Grove was killed shortly after 3 a.m. this morning after her car broke down with a flat tire on northbound I-805 south of Home Avenue. She and two others were seated in a black Mazda sedan parked in front of her Mitsubishi Spider, when a Chevy Tahoe SUV struck both vehicles.
Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. The other two occupants of the Mazda and the driver of the SUV were transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital, according to the Coroner’s office, which reports the driver will face charges.
The Union-Tribune reports that Ortiz was pregnant and that the driver of the SUV, Joseph Venegas of San Diego, will be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.