Car accidents are almost always devastating—even more so if someone loses his or her life as a result. More than two years ago, a young driver who was speeding on Yerba Buena Road struck 24-year-old jogger Kiran Pabla and killed her. Recently, the driver was convicted and sentenced to a year in county jail.
The driver, San Jose resident Gabriel Becerra Esparza, was sentenced on Jan. 26. In March, he entered a no-contest plea regarding a charge of vehicular manslaughter that involved gross negligence and caused great bodily injury.
Becerra’s attorney, Richard Pointer, said Becerra felt extreme sorrow for the loss of Pabla and that the incident was a tragedy.
We don’t often consider how our actions behind the wheel can affect everyone on the road—even pedestrians. In this case, the victim had been jogging on the morning of the incident when Becerra, 18 years old at the time, and a BMW collided.
The Nissan Altima Becerra had allegedly been speeding in careened off the road and pinned Pabla to a tree. The accident happened less than a mile from Pabla’s home.
The second driver was another resident of San Jose, Manuel Anthony Maldonado Avalos, who was acquitted in his own jury trial. Still, both drivers were charged with the same offense and are considered equally culpable by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, according to prosecutor Tamalca Harris.
Police initially suggested that the men might have been street racing at the time, but the court did not allow this theory to be presented.
If you have been injured in a car accident as a result of someone else’s actions, contact Bohn & Fletcher, LLP for a free consultation with a San Jose car accident lawyer by visiting us online or calling us at 408-279-4222.
We help people who have sustained major trauma injuries such as brain and spinal cord injuries, burns, fractures, bites from all kinds of sources such as explosions, traffic accidents, falls, defective products, animal attacks or general negligence. We also represent people with major infections caused by others' negligence (often related to the salon or beauty industries), such as mycobacterial and MRSA infections. We help the families of those wrongfully killed by others' bad acts.... View full business profile here: Bohn Fletcher Law
