Pregnant woman and unborn baby killed by suspected drunk driver in head-on crash
A pregnant woman weeks away from her due date was killed along with her unborn daughter when a suspected drunk driver rammed their car head-on in California over the weekend.
Nicole Ruddy, 33, 35 weeks pregnant, was sitting in the front passenger seat of a Toyota Carolla heading north along Highway 495 when a Ford Explorer pulled into oncoming traffic and rammed his vehicle around 11:40 p.m. Saturday, PKB 11 reported.
First responders rushed the pregnant woman to an area trauma center, where she and her unborn daughter she planned to name Amelia Grace were pronounced dead, according to KTLA.
The mum-to-be’s husband, Andrew Ruddy, 36, was also in the car and suffered serious injuries that would have required surgery.
The suspect, Eddie Escobedo, 43, survived the collision and was also taken to a local trauma center for treatment for “serious injuries,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said.
Escobedo faces charges of manslaughter while driving a vehicle while intoxicated and impaired driving, authorities said.
“During the investigation, deputies determined that Escobedo was under the influence of alcohol and over the California legal limit at the time of the crash,” investigators said.
Escobedo was later released from the hospital and jailed in the county jail, where he remained on Wednesday in lieu of $600,000 bond. He is due back in court on Thursday.
The description of a GoFundMe campaign that was launched to help the family of the victims praised Nicole “as a loving, compassionate and kind person who touched the lives of many people”.
According to the fundraiser organizer, the married mum-to-be ran a small business as a wedding planner and often volunteered at her local church.