A woman faces multiple criminal charges in connection with a crash that killed a nanny and seriously injured a toddler, officials said on Monday.
Christine Padilla, of North County, faces charges in connection with the death of Monserrat Mendez, 41, who was killed and her toddler seriously wounded on Feb. 1 when the SUV Padilla was driving allegedly ran a red light at Camino Del Sur and Via Verrazzano near Rancho Santa Fe, officials said.
Padilla is expected to enter a plea at an arraignment scheduled for March 18. She faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, failure to stop at a red light and failure to yield to a pedestrian within a crosswalk, city prosecutors said.
Mendez was pushing a 14-month-old toddler in a stroller at the time of the crash. She suffered critical injuries and died at a hospital.
The boy was hospitalized in intensive care for several days, with injuries including a shattered spleen, fractured femur, pelvic fracture, broken rib, broken leg and skull fracture.
A man who identified himself as a Mr. Padilla answered the door of the home and said his wife was too distraught to talk to media.
“Please, she’s gone through enough,” Padilla said Friday. “There’s no way we can give a statement right now. We have a one-day-old baby.”
San Diego police filed its case with the City Attorney’s Office on Feb. 12, officials said.
Police said Padilla was not speeding nor was she using her cellphone, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, citing police officials.