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'No one's really safe' | Woman says her father died while waiting for help from 911 call

Diana Barajas wants answers. She wants to know why her dad, Jorge Martin Olguín Cruz, died after leaving the home they shared for an afternoon walk.

Dorian Hargrove, Shannon Handy

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Published: 10:02 AM PDT May 25, 2023
Updated: 10:02 AM PDT May 25, 2023

Diana Barajas stands ten feet from a planter in front of a City Heights apartment complex on 44th Street. 

That planter marks the spot where Barajas' father died as he waited nearly an hour for police and paramedics to respond to multiple calls the residents of the apartment complex said they made.

Barajas wants answers. She wants to know why her dad, Jorge Martin Olguín Cruz, died after leaving the home they shared for an afternoon walk. 

Barajas wants to know what happened during that walk and, more importantly, why it took so long for help to arrive. She wants to hold those accountable for her father, a man she considered her best friend, to die a painful and lonely death.

In January, Barajas filed a legal claim against the city of San Diego to get those answers.

"I lost my father. I am so sad. I am hopeless," says Barajas outside of the City Heights apartment building. "I feel like no one was able to help me. I lost my best friend. He was always there with me. And not just me but my sister too. You know, we lost someone really important in our lives."

But finding those answers will take time and must be facilitated by a judge.

On April 26, the city of San Diego denied Barajas's legal claim, meaning that Barajas must now sue the city to find out why her dad died and why he spent the final minutes of his life in agony.

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