Hayward Man Found Guilty of Manslaughter
A Hayward man has been found guilty of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter by a Yolo County Jury. The jury rendered a decision on Thursday, September 10, 2015, against a 73-year-old man from Hayward, California.
That man is Pacifico Sanpedro who was returning home from a night of gambling at Cache Creek Casino. He was driving along Highway 16 at approximately 3:00 a.m. when he crashed his Infinity sedan into a car that was being attached to a tow truck on July 28, 2013. The operator of the tow truck was 24-year-old, Christopher Gladden. Gladden was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center. He died from his injuries several days later.
The Trial
At the trial, evidence was produced to show that Gladden was just finishing the attachment of a Nissan automobile to his tow vehicle. Evidence proved that Sanpedro hit Gladden at full speed. As a result of the impact, Gladden was trapped between the Nissan that Sanpedro hit and Gladden’s tow truck.
Yolo County District Attorney’s Office stated several witnesses reported that lights could be seen on the tow vehicle. Yet, Sanpedro testified that he did not see any lights prior to the impact. A scene reconstruction video proved that lights of the tow truck were visible at approximately one-half mile away.
The Verdict
This verdict solidifies Sanpedro was criminally responsible for Christopher’s Gladden’s untimely and unfortunate death. Sanpedro will be sentenced on September 28, 2015, at 3pm by the Honorable Judge Dan Maguire of the Yolo County Superior Court.
We hope this verdict finally brings some comfort and peace to the family of Christopher Gladden. Gladden was a 2007 graduate of Sheldon High School. He was a native of Elk Grove, California. Gladden was employed by B&J Towing. According to B & J Towing, Christopher Gladden was the best tow truck operator they ever had.
West Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
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Image Attribution: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain – Source: Intolerance – 1916.