69-Year-Old Woman ‘Decapitated’ by Trash Truck While Crossing ‘Dangerous’ Street

A 69-year-old woman was killed Wednesday morning after a trash truck struck her as she crossed a street in Santa Ana, California, authorities said.

Police reported that the collision happened around 7:56 a.m. on Nov. 19 in the 600 block of South Shelton Street. In a news release, the Santa Ana Police Department said officers and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to multiple calls about a crash near Shelton and Bishop streets and found a pedestrian who had been hit by a trash truck.

The victim was identified as Maria Rubalcava de Ruesga, a Santa Ana resident. Fire officials pronounced her dead at the scene, police said. Local outlets Fox 11 and ABC7 reported that she was decapitated in the incident.

Investigators said the truck driver stayed at the location and cooperated. According to the preliminary findings, the trash truck was traveling eastbound on Bishop Street and made a right turn onto southbound Shelton Street at the roundabout, where it struck Rubalcava as she was crossing.

Neighbors told Fox 11 that the intersection is hazardous and said they want the city to add stop signs. They also said Rubalcava lived nearby and was walking to a grocery store when she was hit. The trash truck was towed from the scene.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit is continuing to investigate.