Baby delivered after mother was hit in a suspected DUI in Rio Linda has died

The baby who was delivered early the day his mother was hit by a DUI driver Monday in Rio Linda has died, the California Highway Patrol confirmed Thursday.

Ciara Villegas, 31, was struck by a vehicle in a traffic crash Monday night, according to CHP. She was six-months pregnant, with a baby boy named Ricky, who was born in an emergency cesarean section.

Villegas is still in critical condition, CHP spokesman Officer Mike Zerfas said, and has undergone extensive surgery in the days following the crash. The Sacramento Bee previously reported Villegas’ age as 23 from a CHP’s news release, but Zerfas said they later determined her age to be 31.

Ronny Haines Ward III, 23, was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County jail after authorities responded to the crash on M Street near 4th Avenue. Ward was arrested on suspicion of a DUI and driving with a suspended license, according to CHP’s news release. Ward has since been released from custody, according to jail records, and Zerfas said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Ward’s Jeep was believed to have crashed into a parked Chevrolet Impala just after 8 p.m., CHP said. The impact pushed the parked vehicle into Villegas, who was standing in front of the car.

A friend of Villegas’, Justin Rich, has set up a GoFundMe for Villegas and her family, which as already raised more than a three-quarters of its $10,000 goal.

This story was originally published April 11, 2019 at 3:51 PM.