A woman fatally struck by a car on a La Jolla street was identified Wednesday as vice president of marketing for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Melissa Ratcliff, 45, had just gotten out of her vehicle when she was struck on Girard Avenue near Kline Street shortly before noon Tuesday, according to police and chamber officials.
U-T San Diego reported that Ratcliff was pinned between two cars after being hit by an out-of-control car driven by a 91-year-old woman.
Medics took her to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where she died, San Diego police Officer Humberto Hernandez said.
The chamber posted a page Wednesday in her memory on its website.
While living in Washington, D.C, Ratcliff served in the White House as deputy communications director for then-Vice President Al Gore and as press secretary to Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner, according to the chamber.
Ratcliff also led the communications office of the national Democratic Party for a time and served as spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee chairman.
A resident of La Jolla, she is survived by three children.
