Flowers, sippy cups, and stuffed animals form a memorial at the corner of North Broadway and Fesler Street. A 1-year-old in a stroller and her mother were struck by a vehicle while they were crossing the street on March 13. The child died and the mother was critically injured, police said.
Flowers, sippy cups, and stuffed animals form a memorial at the corner of North Broadway and Fesler Street. A 1-year-old in a stroller and her mother were struck by a vehicle while they were crossing the street on March 13. The child died and the mother was critically injured, police said. Credit: Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo

A GoFundMe site for the family of the woman and child struck by a vehicle, killing the 1-year-old and injuring the mother in north Santa Maria, has topped $12,000 as of Friday. 

Just before 3 p.m. March 13, members of the Santa Maria Police and Fire departments along with an American Medical Response ambulance crew were dispatched to the intersection of North Broadway and Fesler Street for a report of a traffic collision involving a pedestrian. 

A 30-year-old woman, Iduau Vazquez Leal, pushing a young child in a stroller tried to cross Broadway on the west side of the intersection, police Sgt. Shane Armstrong said Friday.

At the same time, Christopher Martinez, 18, of Santa Maria, was driving a vehicle that stopped in an eastbound lane of Fesler Street before making a right-hand turn onto Broadway and struck both pedestrians, Armstrong added.

The mother and child, Leilany Diaz Vazquez, 1, of Santa Maria, received major injuries and were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center.

This week, Santa Maria police officers were continuing to investigate the incident. 

“Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office for review,” Armstrong said.

The District’s Attorney’s Office will review the results of the investigation and determine what criminal charges, if any, to file.

It’s not unusual for any possible criminal charges to be filed months after an incident due to an extended investigation.

At the corner of Broadway and Fesler, a memorial has grown with flowers candles, baby bottles and more, noting the death of the girl.

“On behalf of the Díaz Vazquez family, we would like to thank everyone who has made a donation. At this time, the donations will go toward medical expenses and support for the family,” the GoFundMe site says.

Multiple posters have been attached to the utilities box and traffic signal pole at the southwest corner of the intersection.

Signs in both English and Spanish demanded justice for the family. One poster says a donation box has been placed at the nearby Family Motors of Santa Maria, 313 N. Broadway.

On Monday, a couple of men, one of whom claimed he was an uncle of the girl, also collected cash. 

A GoFundMe page, En memoria de la niña que perdió la vida y gastos medicos (In memory of the little girl who lost her life and for medical expenses), can be found by clicking here.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.