Van drives onto sidewalk in Garden Grove killing woman, injuring man

Garden Grove police are investigating a crash where a van drove onto a sidewalk and plowed into a man and woman, killing her.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to Westminster Avenue, west of Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove police said Thursday.

A 45-year-old man was driving a Toyota Sienna when for some reason it veered onto the north sidewalk, said Lt. Carl Whitney. It hit a 79-year-old man and 77-year-old woman and ended up on top of them.

“We have a lot of pedestrian traffic in that area,” Whitney said. “Several good Samaritans were able to push the van off of them.”

Paramedics arrived and took the victims to UCI Medical Center where the woman, who had major trauma, was pronounced dead. The man had multiple fractures. A three-year-old boy who was riding in the van was taken to CHOC Children’s Hospital as a precautionary measure but was not injured, police said.

The driver of the van was checked by officers and did not show any signs of impairment. Police are still trying determine what caused the van to veer off the roadway. The driver has not been arrested.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is asked to call Garden Grove Police Department’s Traffic Investigator Paul Ashby 714-741-5823.