This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press April
20, 2001.
By BART WEITZEL
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - A prominent Valley businesswoman and Realtor was killed in a car crash early Thursday morning when she apparently lost control of her car and it rolled several times.
According to Los Angeles County sheriff's traffic Sgt. Gus Risinger, Jackie Ann Smith, 37, of Lancaster was driving west on Avenue N near 36th Street West at 2:53 a.m. when her 1992 Infiniti drifted onto the eastbound side of the road and onto the soft dirt shoulder.
Smith apparently tried to swerve the car back onto the road and over-corrected, losing control of the car, which skidded and turned over, tumbling at least twice. Smith was thrown from the tumbling car and suffered fatal injuries.
Smith was a well-known real estate agent with RE/MAX All-Pro in Lancaster and was the vice president-elect of the Greater Antelope Valley Board of Realtors.
The car came to rest about 50 feet from the north edge of the roadway, in a desert field. A nearby resident heard the crash and dialed 911.
Los Angeles County firefighters arrived and tried to revive Smith, but she was declared dead at the scene.
Risinger said the car was traveling at a calculated speed of 57 mph. Alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the crash.
"The deputies smelled nothing and the coroner smelled nothing, so we don't think it was alcohol," Risinger said. "Of course, the coroner will have to determine that with tests."
Peter Terracciano, owner of the RE/MAX brokerage, spoke highly of Smith and said she would be dearly missed.
"She was one of the most talented and dedicated Realtors that I have ever known," he said. "And she was so involved in the board and things that I don't know how she found time to sleep."
Terracciano said Smith's co-workers saw her working late Wednesday night and that she was in the office until about 10:30 p.m. However, he did not know if she was still working into the wee hours of the morning before the crash.
He said family and friends were still reeling from the news Thursday. Arrangements for the funeral service were still pending and will be announced later.
"Other than the fact that we're all heartbroken, I don't know what else to say," Terracciano said.