Woman dies after car plummets from 4th floor of St. Joseph parking garage in Orange

A woman died Friday, Sept. 17, after the car she was driving crashed through the fourth-story wall of a parking garage at the St. Joseph Outpatient Pavilion in Orange and plummeted to the ground, landing upside down, authorities said.

The crash occurred near West La Veta Avenue and South Pepper Street, near Providence St. Joseph Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange Sgt. Phil McMullin said.

Orange officers and firefighters responded just past 9:20 a.m. and arrived to find bystanders had flipped the silver car right-side-up,  McMullin said.

The woman was the only person inside the car and there were no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground, McMullin said. He described the woman as in her 70s.

The area has three parking structures just north of the 22 Freeway. The car fell out of a 7-story structure for St. Joseph Pavilion parking. The wall could be seen still hanging from the side of the structure as of 12:30 p.m.

It wasn’t immediately known what caused the crash. McMullin said investigators do not believe it was a suicide.

Eddie Flores, 37, of Orange, had just exited the elevator on the first floor following an orthopedics appointment when he heard a loud bang.

“By the time I made it outside it was flipped on its side,” he said of the car. “Everybody jumped on there right away (to help), it was a big group of people.”

He estimated about 20 to 25 people were helping to flip the car back to its wheels.

It appeared the woman had already died, he said.

“Poor thing, she’s gone,” he said. “She’s here trying to keep her health.”

Pepper Street was closed south of La Veta Avenue while authorities investigated the car and the crash site Friday afternoon.