Vigil Held for Mother Fatally Injured in Crash With Police Car

Both cars sustained heavy front-end damage, and one car was ripped wide open in the Wednesday crash

A vigil was held Saturday night for a mother of three who was taken off life support after she was gravely injured in a crash with a Hawthorne police officer.

Karina Preza, 34, died Friday morning at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center with her husband and eldest son among relatives at her bedside.

She was injured, along with a police officer, in the Wednesday morning crash.

A Hawtorne Police Department sergeant was responding to a call before 2 a.m. in the 3700 block of West El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne when he collided with Preza's Honda Accord as she pulled out of an alley.

The impact of the crash threw Preza from her car.

Preza was hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.

The unidentified officer was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released. Preza, a mother of three, was on her way to pick up her husband from work.

CHP officials, who are investigating the case, would not comment, saying they have 30 days to probe the cause.

A memorial fund has been set up for Preza's family. Anyone seeking to donate can go to any Wells Fargo branch and donate to the Karina Preza Memorial Fund, account number: 6917090927.

More Southern California Stories:

Contact Us