Family speaks after pregnant Orange County woman killed by alleged DUI driver
The family of a pregnant Orange County woman who was fatally struck by an alleged DUI driver in Anaheim on Sunday is speaking out, sharing their sorrow as they struggle to cope with the insurmountable loss.
Bianca Esquivel, 24, was killed just after midnight on Sunday when the car her boyfriend was driving on N. Anaheim Boulevard was struck by an allegedly speeding DUI driver who ran through a red light. Esquivel, who was three-months pregnant with her second child, was sitting in the front passenger seat when the crash happened, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her boyfriend, who wished to remain unidentified, said that they were on their way to fulfill her late-night pregnancy craving.
"My body just fell, and then I was going through so much pain. ... That was nothing compared to the pain when they told me she was gone," Esquivel's boyfriend said. "We were laughing on the way back. We were just smiling."
Anaheim police say that the driver who struck their car, 24-year-old Riverside resident Daniel Ramos, was speeding along the 91 Freeway frontage road at N. Anaheim Boulevard when he t-boned them.
Esquivel's boyfriend said that he fought to save her, despite his own injuries.
"My body fell, and I kept getting up. Everyone was telling me to sit down, and I was like, 'No, I don't care,'" he said. "I don't care if I died, I just wanted her to be alive."
Ramos failed a field sobriety test at the scene and was taken into custody. He was booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. Police said that additional charges would also be considered since Esquivel was pregnant.
"I think it was very selfish of him, of not aking the Uber, Lyft. He took two lives away. Not one, but two," said Esquivel's sister, Viri. "The baby that was in her womb didn't have the opportunity to even come to live, because that person took that opportunity from that little angel. ... She leaves behind her 4-year-old, and I personally don't know how to answer, 'Where's my mommy?' Because his mommy isn't coming back."
Family says that they were preparing for Esquivel's baby gender reveal party.
"We were so excited, we were already planning stuff, buying clothes even though our baby was only three months in the stomach, I would talk to my baby every time when we got home," her boyfriend said.
He's scheduled for another surgery on Tuesday. To help cover Esquivel's funeral and medical expenses, they've started an online fundraiser, which can be found by searching for the keywords "Honoring Bianca and Her Unborn Angel."