HUNTINGTON BEACH : Girl, 15, Critical After Being Hit Crossing Street

A 15-year-old girl was in critical condition with head injuries Monday after she was struck by a car while crossing Pacific Coast Highway in a “no pedestrian” zone, Huntington Beach police said.

Shortly after midnight Monday, three teen-age girls ran across the highway at 12th Street, a police spokesman said. Two of the girls made it safely across but Laura Welcome, 15, was hit by a car that, according to one official at the scene, was traveling eastbound at about 50 miles an hour.

There was no crosswalk at the intersection and it was posted “No Pedestrians.” The driver was not cited, police said. Welcome was in critical condition late Monday at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital with a broken leg and head injuries.

A teen-ager who was injured Sunday when his motorcycle slammed broadside into a station wagon in Westminster remained in critical condition at the same Fountain Valley hospital. Darin M. Brace, 18, of Westminster was in the hospital trauma center after suffering internal injuries. Brace’s teen-age passenger was also badly injured in the crash. His name and condition were not available Monday night.