Driver gets 10 years

A suicidal driver who caused a crash that killed a National City man apologized to the victim’s family before a judge sentenced her to 10 years in state prison.

The sentence for Kathleen Lucinda Sloan, 20, of Lakeside, was agreed upon when she pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of Sergio Chan Mora, 54, whose van was struck head-on on Nov. 1, 2010, on Interstate 8 in East County.

El Cajon Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh gave her credit for 264 days previously spent in jail and fined her $2,224 on April 27.

Sloan had taken several bottles of Benadryl, an over the counter product that contains diphenhydramine in a suicide attempt.

She changed her mind and got into a car to go to a friend’s house for help, but she apparently blacked out on the freeway,

Lucinda made a U-turn on the freeway around 3:20 p.m. before pulling into Mora’s van.

Mora died from blunt force trauma at the scene. A daughter of Mora’s spoke to the judge about the family’s loss, saying he left a wife and family in National City.

The medication had been purchased at Walmart and empty bottles were found in Sloan’s vehicle.

She apparently was going to show them to hospital officials as she had wanted her friend to take her to a hospital. Her attorney said she had no prior record.

She had been charged with murder, but that was dropped when she pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter.

Deputy District Attorney Luis Mendez said, “I feel 10 years is sufficient for this incident.”