Orange County Register

A 62-year-old man struck by a vehicle early this week while rescuing an apparently suicidal woman died today, the coroner's office said.

Charles Bybee of Norwalk had been in very serious condition before he was pronounced dead at 2:42 a.m. today at UCI Medical Center – five days after he was struck by a Honda Accord just before 9 p.m. Monday on the 1100 block of West Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton police said.

"I really can't criticize Mr. Bybee for what he did," Fullerton police Sgt. Dan Bohling said. "He was obviously trying to play the role of Good Samaritan but he paid the ultimate price for it."

The cause of death was blunt force injuries, said Daniel Aikin, a supervising deputy coroner. An autopsy was performed just before 9 a.m. today.

Bybee was in the area of Orangethorpe near Euclid Street the night of the incident, delivering food to an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter when he noticed a woman running in the street who seemed to be trying to get hit by a vehicle, police said.

A Fullerton police officer traveling west on Orangethorpe made a U-turn and parked on the south side of the street, where Bybee ran across to alert the officer of the woman.

Bybee then darted back across the street as two cars were traveling west, police said.

A vehicle in the No. 1 lane missed Bybee. The Accord, in the No. 2 lane, did not stop in time and struck Bybee, who went d through the windshield before hitting the asphalt, police said.

The woman was taken to Anaheim Memorial Medical Center for a mental evaluation. Her identity has not been released.