SAN DIEGO - A pedestrian who was hit and killed by a car outside Hazard Center in Mission Valley was identified Monday as a 33-year-old Chula Vista woman.
Monica Azero and her fiancee were on their way home from Sunday's Chargers game at Qualcomm Stadium when they got off the trolley at the Hazard Center stop and attempted to cross the street illegally, according to San Diego police.
A car traveling westbound struck the couple around 4 p.m., pinning both under the vehicle.
Paramedics took them to a hospital, where Azero died shortly after arrival and her boyfriend was listed in critical condition.
Azero was know as Janette to her friends. She worked at Paradise Valley Hospital. Social workers at the hospital are helping her co-workers deal with their devastating loss.
"One moment, they are having fun, making plans to come hang out with us -- and the next thing you know, life is gone," reflected Janette's friend, Monica Sigarroa. "She is where I was -- engaged and ready to have a life."
Janette worked as a nurse in the Emergency Room.
"It's unbelievable that it is Janette," said friend Dyane Sykes. "You expected her to come bouncing around the corner to say 'hello' -- that she's here, 'whats going on,' or 'what happened the night before?' It's just kinda surreal.
Especially surreal for those who watched Janette grow from an EMT, to one of the most respected nurses in the ER.
"It's like a family here. Thats how all ER's are," explained Dr. Leonard Schulkind. He said he'll miss most her zest for life and her smiling face.
Janette's fiancee is expected to recover.
The driver, a 22-year-old woman who remained at the scene, was not hurt. Police said there was no way the motorist could have safely avoided the pedestrians in her path. She will not face charges, because the couple was not using a designated crosswalk.
