An 18-year-old woman was fatally struck by a car over the weekend while trying to rescue a cat that was hit by the car she was a passenger in, police reported.
At about 10:50 p.m. Sunday, deputies responded to the 13800 block of Kiowa Road for a report of a car versus a pedestrian. Investigators say the victim, Emily Sanchez, 18, was the passenger in a car that hit a kitten on Kiowa Road.
“The victim concerned for the cat had the driver turn around so she could check on it,” the Apple Valley Police Department said in a released statement.
When Sanchez got out of the car and picked up the small kitten, she was hit by another car, police said.
Responding deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department began CPR on Sanchez. Police said she suffered severe head trauma and was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
Sanchez was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A GoFundMe page created by Sanchez’s sister to help pay for her burial describes the teenager as a person who had a passion for animals.
The drivers of both cars remained at the scene and were cooperative with investigators.
The deadly crash remains under investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.