Pregnant woman, unborn baby killed in serious crash

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News is hearing from witnesses who say they tried to help after crash that left a pregnant woman dead.

Channel 2's Ashley Swann spoke with two women who said they were pumping gas at that BP station when they heard a terrible screeching of tires and loud boom coming from the intersection of Pleasant Hill Road and Venture Road Saturday night. They immediately ran to help but said there was little they could do.

"All of a sudden we hear this screeching of tires and awful booming noise," Linda Dallas said.

A Saturday night out for some Christmas shopping took a devastating turn for sisters Lisa and Linda Dallas when they witnessed the collision.

"It was devastating. The car was just mangled," Linda Dallas said.

Police said the driver of a sedan, 30-year-old Erasmo Santos-Ordonez, had two passengers in his car when he turned right into the path of this white van carrying five people.

"The oncoming van actually had the right-of-way and he just ran right into him," Linda Dallas said.

Lisa and Linda said it was immediately clear the pregnant female passenger in Ordonez's car was in trouble.

"She was just moaning in pain, so we knew it was bad," Linda Dallas said.

Emergency crews had to extricate the woman, 19-year-old Katerin Matina, from the car. Sadly, both she and her unborn child later died.

The sisters said they tried to comfort her parents when they showed up at the scene.

"Our hearts go out to them, especially the mother and father. It was just sad," Lisa Dallas said.

Police charged Ordonez with vehicular homicide, feticide by vehicle and failure to yield.

Those are charges the sisters feel are appropriate.

"He deserves what they charged him with," Linda Dallas said.

Ordonez is currently being held at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond and according to jail records is also under an immigration hold. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

WSBTV