Woman charged in fatal Thermal hit and run crash case pleads not guilty
A 19-year-old woman accused of causing a fatal crash in Thermal last fall, then fleeing the scene, pleaded not guilty today to three counts of felony hit-and-run causing death or injury.
Hannah Kay Felix is accused of making a left turn in front of a Chevy pickup truck whose driver swerved in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a crash as Felix exited the Oasis Mobile Home Park onto Polk Street, north of Avenue 70, at 5:42 p.m. on Oct. 31.
The other driver, 19-year-old Jose Lopez of Thermal, avoided striking Felix’s truck but crashed and overturned in a dirt lot west of Polk Street. Lopez died at the scene, while his two passengers, one of whom was thrown clear of the truck, were hospitalized with major injuries.
California Highway Patrol investigators said that Felix, who was unlicensed at the time, caused the crash by violating Lopez’s right-of-way when she entered the roadway from the mobile home park, according to an arrest warrant declaration.
After Lopez crashed, investigators say Felix made a U-turn and reentered the mobile home park, but passed by the scene of the crash at least four times throughout the day, the declaration states. On one occasion, witnesses said Felix drove her Ford F-150 to the crash scene with a passenger, who “exited the Ford and walked up to where the Chevy came to rest” before reentering the Ford and leaving.
Witnesses identified Felix’s truck as the one that caused the crash but investigators could not initially locate her because she’d left the mobile home park, the declaration states. She eventually returned at around 9:45 p.m. and was arrested but was released the next day on $75,000 bail.
She’s due back in court July 13 for a felony settlement conference.
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