ANAHEIM, CA – Tragedy struck Tuesday night in Anaheim when a 49-year-old woman was fatally struck by a suspected DUI driver while she was out for an evening walk. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Rio Vista Street and Wagner Avenue.
According to the Anaheim Police Department, the collision occurred around 8:30 p.m. A driver in a speeding silver Mercedes Benz lost control, crashing through a fence and onto a walking path occupied by the victim. The vehicle eventually lurched to a halt in a nearby shallow water body.
Al Sack, a local resident who witnessed the aftermath, described hearing a loud crash. “It sounded like someone dropped a washing machine out of their truck,” he recounted. The interruption quickly escalated, with helicopters soon hovering above.
Sgt. Matt Sutter of the Anaheim Police Department reported that first responders were initially alerted to a possibly fatal outcome when a man approached them, concerned that his wife had not returned from her routine walk. The scene prompted the involvement of urban search and rescue teams, who are well-versed in handling searches within challenging surroundings.
After an extensive search, the victim’s body was tragically discovered concealed in thick brush. “During our investigation,” Sgt. Sutter explained, “an Anaheim resident came up to us and said that his wife had went for a walk and she had not returned.” When officers went out to search for her, they came across the deceased woman’s remains in the brush nearby.
The aftermath of the collision has devastated the local community as authorities continue to handle the tragic event.