CORRALITOS—The 25-year-old woman who died Tuesday after an SUV struck her on the 4800 block of Freedom Boulevard has been identified as Stephanie Bell of Aptos, according to Ashley Keehn of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.Â
California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said a 55-year-old Aromas woman was driving eastbound on Freedom Boulevard in a 2006 Volvo XC70 Cross Country around 2pm. For unknown reasons, she drifted off the right shoulder south of Hames Road and plowed into Bell, shoving her into a grassy culvert.
The Volvo then careened off the pavement and barrel rolled into the culvert and ended up on its roof.
Bell was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gutierrez said a female passenger in the Volvo, Betty Allen, 82, of Aptos, suffered moderate injuries and was airlifted to a trauma center at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas. CALSTAR air ambulance out of Watsonville Municipal Airport landed at nearby Bradley Elementary School to pick up Allen for air transport.
A host of emergency vehicles clogged Freedom Boulevard at the crash scene and forced the closure of both lanes for several hours.
Gutierrez said drugs or alcohol do not appear to have played a role in the solo-vehicle crash.
The driver was not injured.
Watsonville Fire, Central Fire and American Medical Response joined Cal Fire in dealing with the crash.
