11-year-old girl dies after alleged DUI in Cupertino

CUPERTINO, Calif. - An 11-year-old girl died days after she and three other children were hit by the driver of a silver Mazda pickup in a suspected DUI case in Cupertino, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said on Monday. 

The girl died on May 1, according to sheriff's spokesman Brooks Jarosz.

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner identified her as Mahi Kothari of Cupertino. 

She and three other children, ages 4, 7 and 8, were on the sidewalk near Foothill and Stevens Creek boulevards at around 6:14 p.m. on April 27 when they were hit by the pickup, one of several cars involved in the crash, officials said. 

Mothi's mother told KTVU on Tuesday that she didn't want to speak publicly about her daughter's death. But she did note the suspect was already out of jail and she wished he was behind bars.

"He killed my daughter," she said. 

Deputies arrested Adam Wu, 38, of Cupertino, on suspicion of driving under the influence of narcotics causing bodily injury.

The other three children injured in the crash were treated and released from the hospital, Jarosz said.

Jarosz said that deputies were still investigating the crash and awaiting the results of Wu’s toxicology report. Once the investigation is completed, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office will review the case, according to Jarosz. 

After the initial crash, the sheriff's office wrote that it was "heartbroken" by the collision and noted that several calls to 911 "described a horrific scene that could have been prevented." 

According to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner, the girl is one of 34 children to die in the county in 2024.