Julia Gardner, 29, of Irvine, has died after the Uber car she was riding in was struck by a suspected drunk driver in Costa Mesa, according to a news report.
Costa Mesa police said that Gardner and a 29-year-old Huntington Beach man were in the backseat of a Ford Escape SUV Uber car when the driver of a BMW 540i hit the passenger side of the Escape. Both passengers were taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana with chest injuries. Gardner died of her injuries shortly thereafter.
The Uber driver — Frank Rugnetta, 43, of Irvine, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with chest pain. The BMW driver — Porfirio Sandoval, 19, of Costa Mesa — has been arrested on suspicion of felony DUI in the fatal crash.
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If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of an accident, please contact our Orange County law firm for expert legal counsel.