A woman with a previous DUI conviction is facing new charges after two children were killed in a three-car crash Wednesday, Gwinnett County police said.
Vincent Kim, 8, and Kristin Kim, 14, were injured in the Norcross crash and died at a nearby hospital, according to police. They were passengers in a car driven by Rithy Kim, 38. All three share a Stone Mountain address, but police are not yet sure of their relationship to each other.
Police have charged Cindy Catalan-Ordonez, 28, of Duluth, with two counts of homicide by vehicle and one count each of reckless driving and driving on the wrong side of the road.
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Catalan-Ordonez has been arrested in the past on charges including driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, Channel 2 Action News reported. She pleaded guilty in 2014 to one charge of driving under the influence, Gwinnett County court records show. She was sentenced to time served and a year on probation. Police do not know if alcohol was involved in Wednesday night’s crash.
The crash occurred on Steve Reynolds Boulevard near Windward Lane around 10 p.m. Rithy Kim was driving southbound. Catalan-Ordonez was driving northbound, and a gold Honda Civic was traveling behind Rithy Kim, according to police.
Catalan-Ordonez crossed into oncoming traffic, striking Rithy Kim’s vehicle head-on, police said. The force of the crash pushed Rithy Kim’s vehicle into the Honda Civic.
“Though the loss of life in any traffic collision is terrible, it is especially heart-breaking when the death involves a child,” said Cpl. Michele Pihera, a police spokeswoman. “Our thoughts are with the Kim family as they cope with the loss of both children.”
All three drivers and five passengers, including Vincent Kim and Kristin Kim, were injured and transported to a nearby hospital. Catalan-Ordonez is expected to be arrested after she sufficiently recovers from her injuries and is released from the hospital.
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