Principal Sentenced to Ankle Monitor for 2010 Fatal Crash

A Watsonville school principal will wear an ankle monitor for 90 days for committing a traffic violation that caused a fatal car crash nearly two years ago.

The collision claimed a Watsonville father of five and beloved Scotts Valley Unified School District employee.

Victoria Sorensen made an illegal u-turn on Harkins Slough Road as she left New School, where she is the principal, and struck the motorcycle ridden by Daniel Garcia, 51, on Nov. 1, 2010.

Garcia was wearing an illegal helmet and suffered a serious brain trauma. He languished in a coma for 10 days before he died of his injuries. The investigation took a year to complete, and Sorensen was charged with vehicular manslaughter last year.

She pleaded no contest to an alternative charge in September.

Her sentencing hearing Friday afternoon in front of Judge John Gallagher in Santa Cruz was an outpouring if emotions on both sides.

"Being alive after a fatal accident many times left me wondering if I should be alive at all," Sorensen said as she faced the Garcia family in court, trying to choke back tears with mascara streaked down her cheeks. "... I will carry Mr. Garcia's memory the rest of my life."

Garcia's children, brother and sister spoke of the devastating loss of the family patriarch.

"I hope you realize what you took away from us in those short seconds of misjudgment," said Jose Garcia, his brother. "... What you took from his family and community has no price. There are no words to express our loss."

Garcia's son, Daniel Garcia Jr., spoke about all the things his father—the quintessential handyman—taught him and his daughters shared how hard it has been to explain his death to their children.

A display of family photos and a video slide-show of Garcia displayed a man full of life and love for his family.

Colleagues from Scotts Valley High School, where Garcia was a custodian, also shared memories of the man.

"He was the heart and soul of our school," said Catherine Frost, a cafeteria employee who worked with Garcia for 20 years. "He's missed every day at our high school."

Garcia's family had asked that Sorenson receive the maximum sentence possible for her misdemeanor conviction: six months in County Jail. However, because local jail inmates receive double credit for each day served, it would only be a three-month sentence.

Gallagher said he chose a lesser sentence—electronic monitoring—that would allow Sorensen, a single mother, to continue to work and parent her children "but still pay a price for the crime committed."

Electronic monitoring holds the same legal implication as time served behind bars.

Her attorney, Ben Rice, asked Gallagher to not sentence Sorensen to jail time even on electronic monitoring because it could affect her ability to be employed in the future.

"It's just a tragedy," Rice said. "... Let's not make that hole any deeper."

A dozen people spoke in support of Sorensen at the hearing. Her colleagues, a former student and the parent of a student described the woman as a single mother who daily works with the most at-risk students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

"Victoria makes a positive impact on those students every day," Dorma Baker, the superintendent of PVUSD, said. "... I'm hopeful that tragedy won't continue to impact the students."

Jose Beltran, who graduated from New School four years ago, said, "Without her there, I would have never graduated from high school. I really appreciate that."

Assistant District Attorney Jason Gill urged Gallagher to not sentence Sorensen based on her reputation in the community, and testimonials shared Friday highlighted Garcia's impact at Scotts Valley High School, where he worked for two decades. Gill also emphasized that the fatal crash should have never happened.

"This collision was 100 percent preventable," he said, explaining that Sorensen made an illegal u-turn about 100 yards before a spot where she could have legally and safely made the same maneuver.

At the end of the two-hour hearing, Gallagher offered Sorensen a bit of advice: "There's a roomful of grief here. You need to forgive yourself first, the get on with living a life that the Garcia family can be proud of."