Christina Padilla: Sleep-deprived new mom who killed nanny and injured toddler when she ran a red li
Sleep-deprived new mom who killed a nanny and injured a toddler when she ran a red light while driving one day after giving birth is sentenced to just 48 HOURS in prison
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A lawyer from California who struck and killed a nanny pushing a toddler in a stroller as she was driving in San Diego a day after giving birth has been sentenced to mere 48 hours in jail.
Christine Padilla, a 35-year-old attorney from Del Sur, was sentenced Friday to jail time, probation and 180 days of electronic surveillance.
Padilla pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter and two traffic infractions after admitting to police that she was sleep-deprived at the time of the crash.
Sentenced: Christina Padilla, 35, an attorney and mother of two, was sentenced to two days in jail, probation and 180 days of electronic surveillance for running over a nanny and injuring a toddler
Innocent victims: Monserrat Mendez (left), 41, was thrown 30 in the air in impact and was pronounced dead; the 14-month-old boy who was in her care (right) was seriously hurt
Horrific collision: Police say Padilla ran a red light and struck Mendez, who was pushing a stroller with a toddler inside, which then became wedged under the Toyota 4Runner
San Diego police say Padilla's Toyota 4Runner ran a red light in February and struck Monserrat Mendez.
The 41-year-old nanny was thrown about 30 feet and the stroller she was pushing was wedged under the car. The 13-month-old boy inside was seriously injured but recovered after extensive treatment.
Police determined that Padilla, who'd given birth the day before the accident, hadn't been speeding or talking on her cell phone.
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ShareOn February 1, Padilla was driving her SUV at around 11.45am in the Torrey Highlands area when she ran a red light at the intersection of Camino del Sur and Via Verrazzano, and struck Mendez, ABC 10 News reported.
The impact sent the nanny flying about 30 feet into the air. The stroller she was pushing containing a 14-month-old boy became wedged under the SUV, which dragged it across the intersection.
Close call: Little Bryan's mother said in court that her son's doctors told her that had his skull fracture been an inch lower, his spine could have been severed
Miraculous recovery: Despite suffering a skull fracture, broken ribs and bones, and a laceration to the liver, Bryan survived
First responders who arrived on the scene rushed Mendez to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where she was pronounced dead.
The toddler was taken to Rady Children's Hospital with a skull fracture, broken bones, a lacerated spleen and broken ribs.
When interviewed by investigators, Padilla said that she had given birth just 33 hours before the crash and was 'extremely sleep deprived.'
Deputy City Attorney Nicole Kukas said that not getting any sleep for 24 hours is similar to driving drunk or high on drugs.
‘She [Padilla] should not have been driving,’ the prosecutor told Judge Charles Gill.
During the emotional court hearing Friday, Judge Gill said that he had initially planned to follow the Probation Department's recommendation, which included three years of probation and 180 days of house arrest.
Bad move: Padilla (left) told police that she had given birth to her daughter just 33 hours before the crash, and admitted to being sleep-deprived
However, after reading all the letters written by the victims' families and listening to their impact statements in court, he was persuaded to add two days of jail time to Padilla's sentence.
Allison Fomon, the mother of the 14-month-old child who was injured in the accident, said that the doctors who treated little Bryan told her that had his skull fracture been an inch lower, his spine could have been severed.
'Christine, you were literally an inch from killing my son,' Fomon said in court, addressing the defendant.
Heartbreaking loss: Mendez's 16-year-old daughter, Amy Barragan, described her late mother as her best friend and spoke of the agony she and her brother had endured as a result of losing her
According to NBC San Diego, Fomon, who works as a deputy district attorney, asked for at least a short jail term for Padilla, insisting that sentencing the mother of two to just house arrest does not constitute an fitting punishment.
Mendez's 16-year-old daughter, Amy Barragan, spoke of the agony she and her brother had endured as a result of losing their mother, whom the teenager described as her best friend and confidant.
‘She didn’t even get to see [my brother and I] graduate from high school, and that was her dream,' Barragan said.
In an impassioned impact statement presented in the courtroom, Mendez's brother, Heliodoro Mendez, expressed outrage at what he perceived to be an overly light sentence and suggested that the 35-year-old attorney was allowed to pay her way out of a lengthy prison term.
‘With all the money [Padilla] has, she won’t be able to buy God or Divine justice,’ he said.
When given the chance to speak, Padilla apologized in court to the families of both victims, saying that to this day she is unable to explain why she had failed to see the red light that fateful day in February.
Call for justice: Allison Fomon (left), the injured toddler's mother, asked for at least a short jail term for Padilla
‘I have no words to express the depth of my remorse. If I could lessen your pain, I would,’ said Padilla.
She then added: ‘I remain horrified by the consequences of what I’ve done.’
The victims’ relatives, however, insisted that Padilla has shown no genuine remorse since the crash and has remained focused only on her own pain and suffering.
Mendez's family have filed a civil lawsuit against Padilla, accusing her of being reckless and negligent.
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