Rhawnhurst man gets 3-6 years in prison for fatal Center City drunken driving collision
David Gonzalez, 48, had been speeding when he crashed into two women at a crosswalk at 11th and Market Streets in November 2016. His estimated speed of at least 59 mph was more than double the speed limit of 25 mph.
A drunk driver who killed a 22-year-old mother and injured a second woman when his vehicle slammed into them at a Center City intersection in November 2016 was ordered Thursday to spend three to six years in prison.
David Gonzalez, 48, had been speeding when his pickup truck crashed into Anna Gonzalez (no relation) and Catherine Cardoza at 11th and Market Streets. His estimated speed of at least 59 mph was more than double the speed limit of 25 mph.
Anna Gonzalez, a mother of three, died two days later. Cardoza was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital in critical condition. She has been in physical therapy for more than a year and said in court Thursday that she has physical scars from the incident.
"I have to see myself in the mirror with those scars every day," Cardoza said.
Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and other charges in January, will not contest his sentence, attorney John I. McMahon Jr. said.
Common Pleas Court Judge J. Scott O'Keefe sentenced him to three to six years for vehicular homicide and one to two years for aggravated assault by vehicle. Because both sentences will be served concurrently, Gonzalez will face three to six years in state prison.
At the hearing, a tearful Gonzalez apologized to Cardoza and to Anna Gonzalez's family in a brief public statement.
"Please understand that my heart is filled with sadness and loss by the pain I caused you," he said. His only request to O'Keefe was to be given mental health and alcohol treatment while incarcerated. The judge granted his request.
In an interview after leaving the courtroom, Cardoza said she does not believe the sentence was fair. "Honestly, I wish he could be in jail for a lifetime," she said, adding that her ongoing recovery is a "struggle" that she takes "day by day."
Anna Gonzalez’s relatives and friends, some of whom wore T-shirts showing her face, were not available to comment. Speaking on behalf of David Gonzalez’s supporters, McMahon said in an interview, “The hearts of the family go out to the [families] of the victims.”