SUV kills pedestrian

A Costa Mesa woman was killed crossing the street Friday morning when a man driving down Westcliff Drive near Dover Drive in Newport Beach hit her while she was in a crosswalk, police said.

Martha Ovalle, 32, was pronounced dead by paramedics just after 8:30 a.m. Friday after she was hit by a blue GMC Yukon westbound on Westcliff Drive as she crossed the street near Buckingham Lane in a crosswalk, authorities said.

The crosswalk is near homes and bus stops, leading police to believe Ovalle may have been going to or coming from work when she was hit.

The driver, 41-year-old Martin Kuehl of Costa Mesa, was taken into custody for a parole violation unrelated to the accident.

Sgt. Evan Sailor said Kuehl, who was driving alone, was cited for the fatal crash.

Traffic investigators said it didn’t appear Kuehl was speeding, and neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in the crash. It was unclear whether distractions, such as a cellphone, contributed to the collision, Sailor said.

This is the second fatal crash this week involving a pedestrian and a car.

On Monday, 54-year-old Michelle Kim of Redondo Beach was killed as she walked to work when she crossed Newport Place Drive, not at a crosswalk, and a minivan hit her.

That driver, 35-year-old Sung Van Le of Santa Ana, did not appear to be speeding, distracted or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said.

Le was released soon after.

The investigation into Friday’s incident is continuing. Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Investigator Todd Bush at (949) 644-3746.