Newborn Baby Dies After Los Angeles Woman Gives Birth Following Car Crash, Police Arrest DUI Driver


In a tragic incident, a newborn baby girl died minutes after birth after her mother was involved in a car crash. According to a KTLA report, the baby was born due to the result of a head-on car crash that occurred last week near Valley Glenn in Los Angeles, California. The vehicle in which the pregnant woman, later identified as Judith Mauricio, was traveling was hit by another vehicle being driven by a man identified as 25-year-old Julian Gutierrez. According to officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, Gutierrez has since then been arrested and is being suspected of driving under the influence and causing the crash.

According to local media reports, the incident happened on the evening of May 26, 2017, at around 11 p.m. when emergency services and the local police officials were alerted about a head on crash. The crash was reported to have happened along Fulton Avenue south of Hatteras Street. According to eyewitness reports, Julian Gutierrez crossed the double yellow lines and drove into oncoming traffic and seconds later, crashed into another car – later confirmed to be the one in which Judith was traveling – leaving her grievously injured. Judith, who was driving the ill-fated car was eight months pregnant and was scheduled to give birth only a few weeks from now. She was quickly rushed to a local hospital where she gave birth to a baby girl. However, even after a valiant attempt by doctors to save her life, the baby could not be rescued and passed away minutes after she was born.

According to eyewitness Simon Sarkissian who witnessed the accident and was among the first to reach the spot, it was horrible to see the bruises on Judith’s tummy when she was being extricated from the crashed vehicle. In an interview with local news networks, Simon was quoted saying the following.

“When I saw the bruise on her tummy there, all I could do was pray.”

Simon revealed that it was an emotional moment for him because he also had a son who is just over a month old.

“It’s hard not to get emotional right now knowing that because I have a little over a month-old son of my own,” Simon was quoted saying.

Simon also revealed that Julian Gutierrez was driving a 2010 Nissan Altima while Judith Mauricio was behind the wheel of a 1997 Acura Integra. The Acura was nearly totaled following the crash.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation into the incident. They had confirmed that Julian Gutierrez was driving under the influence when the crash occurred. Julian was himself injured in the crash and suffered minor injuries for which treatment was provided to him at the scene. He was then arrested on suspicion of murder. Following his arrest, it was revealed that he previously had a $70,000 warrant out for his arrest. His bail has been set at $2 million.

A statement issued by the Los Angeles Police Department following the incident read this.

“The investigation revealed that Gutierrez was driving under the influence during the time of the collision. He sustained minor injuries… and was treated by paramedics at (the) scene. Gutierrez was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being held in lieu of $2 million bail. He also had a warrant in the amount for $70,000 which increased the bail amount to $2.07 million.”

The investigators have also appealed to members of the public to come forward with more information about the incident if they have any. Anyone with information about the crash can call Officer Martinez at Valley Traffic Division, at 818-644-8032 or Detective William Bustos at 818-644-8021. Or call 1-877-LAPD-24-7, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

[Featured Image by diegoparra/Pixabay]

Share this article: Newborn Baby Dies After Los Angeles Woman Gives Birth Following Car Crash, Police Arrest DUI Driver
More from Inquisitr