Driver sentenced for crash that killed man changing flat tire on roadside

A driver convicted of fatally striking a man who was changing a tire on the side of a freeway in Vista was sentenced Wednesday to two years in state prison.

Isabella Herrera, 24, was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter in the Feb. 26, 2023, crash that killed 63-year-old Oceanside resident Rafael Jurado Cardona.

Prosecutors had alleged she was under the influence of marijuana during the crash and charged her with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, but a Vista Superior Court jury acquitted her of that charge. Prosecutors also argued Herrera was driving 84 mph five seconds prior to the impact and made an unsafe turning movement while driving.

According to the Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim pulled over onto the side of eastbound state Route 78, west of Emerald Drive, to change a flat tire.

As he was standing near his vehicle just before 10:30 a.m., a Buick Verano driven by Herrera swerved and struck the center divider near where Jurado Cardona was stopped, hitting the victim and his vehicle, prosecutors said.

Jurado Cardona died at the scene, while Herrera was hospitalized for moderate injuries, the California Highway Patrol said.