Baby Critical After Delivery From Mother Fatally Injured In San Jose Crash
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Family and friends on Thursday were mourning the loss of a pregnant San Jose woman who died from injuries sustained in a car crash Wednesday, but remained hopeful that her infant son delivered after the crash would survive.
18-year-old Dulce Capetillo-Hernandez died at the hospital after being involved in a two-car collision Wednesday morning on U.S. Highway 101 in San Jose, according to authorities.
The woman's child was delivered and is in critical condition as of Thursday morning, Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
Capetillo-Hernandez was two months away from becoming a mom.
She worked at a Taco Bell in Morgan Hill.
Her supervisor told KPIX 5 her brother was driving her home after her late night shift when the accident happened.
Capetillo-Hernandez was a passenger in a 1998 Honda Civic involved in the collision. The Honda Civic, driven by 20-year-old Carlos Capetillo-Hernandez, swerved and struck a parked BMW on the shoulder of northbound Highway 101 south of Tully Road.
The crash blocked the two right lanes around 1:50 a.m., California Highway Patrol officials said.
Investigators aren't sure why the BMW was there.
"The information we are looking at now is the possibility the BMW was parked on the shoulder of 101 prior to this collision may have been involved in a previous collision," said CHP Officer Ross Lee.
Initially, the two people in the Honda and the BMW driver were transported to a hospital for minor injuries, according to the CHP.
Capetillo-Hernandez was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for leg pain. She underwent an operation for traumatic injuries to her torso and was pronounced dead around 5:30 a.m., according to the CHP. Her baby was delivered shortly afterwards.
The baby was born two months premature, according to hospital officials.
Dr. David Lee is a neonatologist at California Pacific Medical Center.
"Being born early is not something anyone would choose to do, but often times there are no alternatives," said Lee.
He said generally babies born at seven months will have to spend several months in the hospital to monitor their lung and brain development.
"So now, because of advances in our ability to take care of these babies, being born early in and of itself doesn't necessarily mean that the baby will not do well or that the baby will die," said Lee.
Capetillo-Hernandez's brother also had leg pain and was taken to Regional Medical Center of San Jose. The BMW driver, later identified as 22-year-old Hung Tran, was also taken to the same hospital for complaint of pain and later arrested on suspicion of DUI, CHP officials said.
Capetillo Hernandez, who was also known as "Dimplezz," posted on her Facebook page that she was a "Mommy to be" and attended Independence High School in East San Jose.
A GoFundMe page has been made by Capetillo-Hernandez's aunt Yesenia Ortiz to raise money for the young woman's funeral and her premature baby boy.
The page had raised over $2,500 of its $15,000 goal as of early Thursday evening.
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