A 25-year-old woman who was struck by a Tesla during a police pursuit on San Diego’s Pacific Beach boardwalk is out of the hospital, but the afternoon walk that put her in the vehicle’s path has left her facing months of recovery.
Olivia was walking with her boyfriend during her lunch break on Sept. 14 when the Tesla came onto the boardwalk. Newly released surveillance video shows the couple walking moments before the vehicle races through the area, followed by San Diego police vehicles.
The collision left Olivia with two broken ribs, two fractured vertebrae, and a five-inch laceration that required more than 20 stitches. A fundraiser organized by Ocean Pacific Gym, where she has been a member for more than a year, says she spent five nights in the hospital and will need help with basic daily tasks as she recovers.
Now the same Pacific Beach community that watched the chase unfold is raising money to help cover her medical bills, everyday expenses, and the assistance she will need while much of her normal life remains out of reach.
Seconds Away
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The new footage aired by CBS 8 shows Olivia and her boyfriend walking along the boardwalk shortly before the Tesla appears.
Witness Miguel Valle told the station he heard a woman scream before the vehicle passed him.
Olivia tried to get out of its path, according to witnesses, but was struck.
Ken Cornell, owner of Ocean Pacific Gym and Wellness, told CBS 8 that Olivia currently cannot be left alone and needs help with routine tasks. Her boyfriend can provide some of that care, Cornell said, but he also has to work.
The gym sits close enough to the boardwalk that the chase passed an outdoor workout area visible from the facility.
For Cornell, that proximity made Olivia’s injuries difficult to treat as something that happened somewhere else.
“That couple could have been any one of us,” he told CBS 8.
Onto The Boardwalk
The collision came near the end of a pursuit that had started minutes earlier.
The Los Angeles Times, citing a San Diego Police Department release, reported that police were called about a stolen Tesla around 12:19 p.m. Officers spotted the vehicle on Mission Boulevard roughly 12 minutes later.
Police identified the driver as 39-year-old Juan Antonio Gonzaba. The department’s account said he did not stop for officers, beginning a pursuit through Pacific Beach.
During the chase, the Tesla struck an electrical transformer. Police said a supervisor terminated the pursuit as the danger to the public increased.
The Tesla continued toward the beachfront and entered the boardwalk.
Videos from the incident showed pedestrians and cyclists moving out of its path as it traveled through an area normally occupied by people on foot and bicycles.
After Olivia was struck, the Tesla eventually stopped and the driver got out. Bystanders chased Gonzaba into a nearby parking area and detained him until police arrived.
The Case Moves
The criminal case has since moved beyond the initial arrest.
Gonzaba pleaded not guilty at a Sept. 16 arraignment to five felony charges, according to NBC 7’s court coverage.
The charges include evading an officer causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, vehicle theft, and evading officers with reckless driving. A judge ordered Gonzaba held without bail following the hearing.
The charges are allegations. Gonzaba is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
A Different Challenge
While the criminal case proceeds, Olivia’s immediate problem is considerably more basic: healing enough to regain her independence.
The gym’s fundraiser says Olivia’s life before the collision included ballet, tennis, Lagree, strength training, Pilates, and yoga. The injuries have temporarily replaced that routine with doctor visits, daily assistance, and an expected recovery lasting months.
Ocean Pacific Gym committed $5,000 to the effort, and Cornell asked other members of the gym community to contribute.
CBS 8 reported that the response extended beyond cash donations. Cornell said doctors and physical therapists had contacted the gym offering to help Olivia without charge.
The fundraiser, created Sept. 25, says donations will be used for hospital and doctor bills, everyday needs, and support while Olivia remains unable to handle basic tasks on her own.
As of the fundraiser’s latest publicly displayed total, more than $20,000 had been contributed by hundreds of donors.