Woman dies in morning collision

A Santa Ana man was not speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he fatally struck a woman on her way to work in Newport Beach on Monday morning, police said.

Michelle Kim, 54, of Redondo Beach, died Monday at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian after she was hit by a Honda Odyssey minivan as she crossed eastbound Newport Place Drive on her way to work just before 7 a.m.

It did not immediately appear that the driver, 35-year-old Sung Van Le, was on the phone, eating, drinking or violating any other vehicle codes when he hit Kim while in the left lane, police said. Authorities said Le saw Kim on the sidewalk before she stepped onto the street as he turned onto Newport Place Drive from Dove Street, a quiet business area southeast of John Wayne Airport.

Kim was walking to her job at Glidewell Laboratories, a dental supplies company, when she was hit between the MacArthur Boulevard and Dove Street intersections, police said. Employees there declined to comment.

Le immediately stopped after the collision, police said, and submitted to questioning. He was not injured and was released hours later.

Kim suffered serious trauma from the crash and was taken to Hoag Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.

Police interviewed a number of witnesses to the crash Monday morning but are looking for anyone else who may have more information. Anyone with information relating to the crash is asked to call Traffic Investigator Todd Bush at (949) 644-3746.