A 58-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a car as she walked down a Laguna Niguel sidewalk was identified by the Orange County coroner's office.
The accident took place on Golden Lantern near Beacon Hill Way around 9:10 a.m. Thursday, according to the coroner's office. Laguna Niguel resident LuZanna Malec was walking on the sidewalk when a car hopped the curb and hit her, and she died at the scene, according to the coroner's office.
Her husband, Tom Malec, was also struck and taken to Mission Hospital. A source has told Patch that he is now back home.
The driver, a 43-year-old man, was detained and being evaluated for possible DUI, the Orange County Sheriff's Department told the Orange County Register.
Malec's cousin, Elizabeth Aleccia, told the Orange County Register that "she was the brightest smile in the room, always. She had a delightful sense of humor and a contagious laugh."
Malec worked for Wells Fargo Advisors in Newport Beach. She was also a published author, having penned books on retirement investing, and a mother of three, according to the Register.
-- City News Service contributed to this report.Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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