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    Woman killed by 2 vehicles in LA was ballet dancer

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Renowned former ballet dancer, actress and teacher Zina Bethune was hit by two vehicles and killed after getting out of her car in an apparent attempt to help a wounded animal, authorities said Monday.

    Bethune, 66, whose married name is Zina Feeley, left her Lincoln Towncar running on Forest Lawn Drive early Sunday and got out to help what turned out to be a dead opossum, police Sgt. Jeffrey Siggers told the Los Angeles Times.

    She was hit by an eastbound vehicle, then thrown into the opposite lane, where she was hit by another vehicle that dragged her body more than 600 feet, police said. She had severe head injuries and died at the scene.

    Police have not identified the car that was involved in the second collision, Siggers said. The driver may have fled or may have been among the many drivers interviewed by investigators at the scene.

    Bethune trained under famed dance instructor George Balanchine and began dancing with the New York City Ballet at age 14 despite suffering from scoliosis and lymphedema.

    "I was born to dance, in my heart, but not in my body," she told a Los Angeles Times reporter in 1999.

    Starting in 1982, she taught dance to thousands of disabled Southern California children through her nonprofit dance company.

    She also sang and danced on Broadway, and appeared in many TV soap operas, including "The Guiding Light" in the 1950s and "Santa Barbara" in the 1980s.

    On the big screen she was best known for appearing opposite Harvey Keitel in director Martin Scorsese's 1967 feature debut, "Who's That Knocking At My Door."

    ___

    Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

     

    95 comments

    • Irene  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      R.I.P. I never heard of her before, but she was someone's family member, friend, etc... God bless and be with the family and friends.
    • SantaFeJack  •  Santa Fe, New Mexico  •  3 mths ago
      A sad way to die. And just a little bit of caution and she would still be alive. Sounds like she did good things while she was on this earth. Condolences to family and friends and fans.
    • Josh  •  Albany, New York  •  3 mths ago
      Certainly not the best idea to get out of the car, but this illustrates the worlds growing inability to slow their busy lives for even a minute, even for a persons life. Also, how do you hit a human and drag it for 600 feet? Senseless and avoidable. Wake up people.
      • PeakTickets 3 mths ago
        My guess after getting hit the first time, she just looked like an animal carcass. Ballet dancers weigh about 100 pounds I figure. After the first vehicle smacked her across into the other lane she was likely struck again almost immediately. I doubt the driver even thought that it was a human. The second driver was probably frustrated that it wouldn't shake lose for 600 feet.
      • Juan Huang Lo 3 mths ago
        "...world's growing inability"? Really? I was taught in Driver's Ed THIRTY years ago not to brake for animals. Bless her heart, the lady was a kind hearted, well intentioned idiot.
      • Thinking Man 3 mths ago
        yeah obama its the cars fault! WOW! and I thought the dancer was stupid!
    • markp  •  Kingston, Jamaica  •  3 mths ago
      She died concerned about something other than herself. Define hero.
      • Thinking Man 3 mths ago
        somebody that does something important! Define stupid the same person doing somthing un-important!
      • markp 3 mths ago
        yeah I meant her entire life...she worked with disabled kids.
    • JustMe  •  3 mths ago
      Wow, this woman sounds super cool and interesting. I love her quote about being born to dance in her heart but not her body. Also that she taught dancing to disabled kids is very cool. Bummer that she died trying to save an animal that was already dead. There probably aren't going to be any specials about her on Nancy Grace, Peirs Morgan, Dr. Drew or any of the other media tools but I bet her life was more fulfilling and more interesting then most.
    • Jimi  •  Waynesboro, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      God Bless her......anyone who cares that much about animals has a heart of gold....RIP
    • hmmmmmmm  •  3 mths ago
      Starting in 1982, she taught dance to thousands of disabled Southern California children through her nonprofit dance company.......funny world we live in...this woman has contributed to life far more than many celebrities or entertainers and gets less recognition than my left pinky. humans are stupid.
    • Evadon  •  3 mths ago
      Actually possums aren't all that bad. I've rescued babies that didn't have their eyes open and they are soft and silky like little kittens. They cling to you with a very strong grip and cuddle together, yawn and stretch, are very active and inquisitive. They won't attack you since they are non-confrontational animals. They are wild animals and aren't meant to be pets, but to be able to witness their life cycle (they only live about 3 years) gives a new perspective. It's what people DON'T know about wildlife that causes such uninformed opinions.
      • Abitnico 3 mths ago
        oh really . we dont have possums in singapore so i dont know what is that. i mean yeah i can see the picture from yahoo but not the real animal . i am animal lover. but why i always heard that ppl hate possums?
      • DeniseJ 3 mths ago
        Don't know their behavior, but they sure have a lot of sharp teeth!
      • American Patriot 3 mths ago
        Of course they carry fleas which may have rabies, but who cares, right?
    • Yowza  •  3 mths ago
      I read this story as I wondered how she was killed by two cars. Sorry to learn who the victim was. I came across her work with the disabled years ago, but most remember her in a TV role on The Nurses, I think it was. I am sure she touched many.
    • Andrew  •  3 mths ago
      Dragged for 600 feet?! Seriously?! Was the driver drunk and or texting?!
    • dancingwriterwoman  •  Honolulu, Hawaii  •  3 mths ago
      Just goes to show that no matter how good we are as people (or not), we don't know when and how we are going to die. She was lucky to live so well for as long as she did.
    • iCleopatra  •  3 mths ago
      God! What are the odds of something like that to happen? Talking about wrong place, wrong time!
    • Bachman  •  Houston, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      You lowlifes making ugly comments about this woman's horrible death are despicable. R.I.P. Zina Bethune
    • Mark  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      A noble person. I think she will be blessed.
    • Chris F  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  3 mths ago
      So sad to die while doing a good deed. I hope she didn't suffer.
    • m  •  3 mths ago
      Bummer. It's usually just animal lovers who stop to check on roadkill, so hopefully she died doing something she loved. Rest in Peace.
    • Jane  •  Zurich, Switzerland  •  3 mths ago
      Loved her work in Who's That Knocking At My Door' by Scorcese - she was unforgetable in that film. Cool that she seemed to live her life doing good things, bravo to a life well-lived and sorry to hear of her death.
    • kelstar  •  Raleigh, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      Poor lady. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten out of my car to save turtles in the road from being squashed...but, I had a close call one time doing that! Now, I only do it when there are NO cars coming in either direction! I feel bad for her because at least she was a caring person, but maybe she just didn't see the cars coming at her!
    • Rhonda  •  3 mths ago
      I didn't think Forest Lawn has that much traffic. I think it's more probable that there was speeding involved. This is unfortunate. We all use bad judgment at one time or another. Sometimes we pay with our lives.
    • ptr  •  3 mths ago
      so sad that this gifted and compassionate person died so tragically; so many Los Angeles drivers go excessively fast, just wish we could afford more police to cite them...forest lawn drive is probably a 35mph zone at most
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