Low blood sugar caused a fatal accident!

Betty Diaz, 39, of Lake Forest, is accused of failing to take proper care of her blood sugar level, triggering an episode of hypoglycemia in which she lost control of the Suburban.

Kyung "Connie" Chung was killed in a head-on collision July 3, 2007.

Diaz is accused of taking insulin on an empty stomach, dropping her blood sugar to a dangerously low level.

On July 3, 2007 around 2:15 p.m., Diaz was driving with 8- and 9-year-old children in the SUV when she lost control, veering across a center divider and into oncoming traffic on the northbound side of Irvine Center Drive.

The Suburban crashed straight into the Camry, fatally injuring its driver, 70-year-old Kyung "Connie" Chung. Chung died at a nearby hospital.

Diaz and the two children had to be treated for lesser injuries.

According to a medical evaluation in court records, Diaz has had Type 1 diabetes for 22 years.

Diabetics who are prescribed insulin are told to take it before meals to keep blood sugar from spiking. On an empty stomach, insulin can cause blood sugar to drop to dangerous lows, triggering hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia causes dizziness, shaking, sweating, and confusion, and in serious cases, even seizures and fainting.

Diaz told the doctor that she took insulin on an empty stomach that morning. Her last meal before the accident was between 7 and 8 p.m. the day before, according to the evaluation.

She told the doctor that she had tested at dangerously high blood sugar levels -- four times the normal -- the night before the accident. If that's so, then in trying to bring her blood sugar down, Diaz apparently overdid it

The evaluation found that she had likely suffered an episode of severe hypoglycemia.

Diaz has been charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and two felony counts of child endangerment.

The pre-trial hearing at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach is her eighteenth since she was charged 15 months ago.