A woman who ran a red light in San Carlos, causing a motorcyclist to slam into her vehicle and sustain fatal injuries, was sentenced Wednesday to one year in county jail and three years of probation.
Sarah Meland, 51, pleaded guilty to a gross vehicular manslaughter charge for the Feb. 13 crash that killed 67-year-old El Cajon resident Dane Terry, a local musician known for performing in several bands, including Cadillac Wreckers, a blues band he co-founded.
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Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams said Meland "intentionally" ran the red light just before 6 a.m. at Bisby Lake Avenue to turn left onto Navajo Road. Terry was killed after striking the side of Meland's vehicle.
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Williams said Meland routinely ran the red light at that intersection on her morning commute to work. In the month prior to the fatal crash, Meland ran the red light a dozen times, the prosecutor said.
"Ultimately, this is an undeniably tragic case where a selfish act took the life of another," Williams said. "(Meland) chose to save a few seconds on her commute to work at the sacrifice of another person's life."
Tammy Terry, the victim's wife of 35 years, said her husband was "a loved one to all who knew him."
Along with music, Terry was a motorcycle enthusiast, loved barbecuing, and was working as a locksmith for the University of San Diego at the time of his death.
With their two children grown up and out of the home, Tammy Terry said the couple were "enjoying the next phase of our life," but she said she now must deal with the emotional and financial ramifications of his death.
"All this heartbreak and struggle because Sarah, you couldn't stop. You couldn't give him a minute of your time," she said.
Meland's defense attorney, Charles Quirk, said his client was remorseful and had accepted responsibility.
"She feels horrible about what happened," Quirk told San Diego Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon.
The judge, who ordered Meland to report to jail on Aug. 9, told her, "This is a situation where frankly, you felt entitled to do something that the law didn't let you do ... at the cost of everybody around you. I'm not sure how it never crossed your mind that you could hurt somebody by your selfish actions."
