Pregnant woman dies after crash

University Medical Center doctors were trying late Sunday to save the life of an unborn child whose mother died from injuries received in a traffic accident.

Police said Judith Sanchez-Ortiz, 27, of Las Vegas, was critically injured at about 6:15 p.m. when two cars collided at the intersection of Decatur Boulevard and Pennwood Avenue.

Sanchez-Ortiz died at the hospital and doctors performed an emergency Caesarean section to remove the unborn child.

A UMC spokeswoman said the child is in critical condition, but declined to say how many months it had been in the womb.

Metro Police said Sanchez-Ortiz was driving west on Pennwood Avenue when a northbound car driven by 18-year-old Michael Kerkorian apparently ran a red light and struck the victim.

Three passengers in the Sanchez-Ortiz vehicle, included two children, ages 5 and 2, received minor injuries.

Kerkorian was not injured.

Investigators said there were no indication of speed or alcohol involvement in the accident and no chargeds had been filed late Sunday pending further investigation.

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