Elderly Rancho Cordova woman, killed after driver crashed into home, identified by coroner
An emotional Gary Lloyd Circle faced a Sacramento judge on manslaughter charges Wednesday in the crash that killed a Rancho Cordova woman earlier this week.
The elderly woman killed Sunday night when a car crashed into a Rancho Cordova home was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office as Janice Williams, 81.
The grandmother suffered fatal injuries while her son and his wife were seriously injured when a car smashed through the family’s home in the 10300 block of Georgetown Drive around 4:30 p.m., as they had gathered to watch the San Francisco 49ers play in the NFC championship game.
The coroner’s confirmation Wednesday came hours before Circle faced a Sacramento Superior Court judge on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter in Williams’ death. Prosecutors also filed four counts of driving under the influence causing injury and two counts of child endangerment, one each for the children in Circle’s car, court records showed. Neighbors told The Bee on Sunday that they saw two children inside the crumpled car.
Circle’s blood alcohol content measured .08-.09 after being taken into custody, said defense counsel Brooks Parfitt, but said a notoriously hazardous stretch of road was also to blame for the crash that killed the elderly Williams.
“This is not somebody who got wasted — he had children in the car, yes — but this is a case of unintentional violence,” Parfitt said.
But deputy prosecutor James Wax cited Circle’s actions behind the wheel: weaving in and around traffic, and driving around a car making a left turn in the minutes before the wreck.
“He was driving in a reckless manner. He cut off cars, he was passing cars at an unsafe speed,” Wax said, adding a criminal record including forgery and burglary charges in Washington state and southern California was enough to keep his bail at $1 million. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White reduced Circle’s bail to $500,000.
The vehicle, a dark purple Kia Optima, had been traveling on Coloma Road when it drove “fully into the home” on the corner of Georgetown Drive, across from a church, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Two of Williams’ family members – a man in his 50s and a 45-year-old woman – were also injured, as the sedan collided into the living room of the single-story house and came to rest on top of a couch, fire officials said.
Metro Fire spokesman Capt. Chris Vestal said Sunday that personnel worked quickly to rescue the two surviving victims, who had been pinned beneath the car.
The 45-year-old Rancho Cordova man remains held at Sacramento County Main Jail. Circle’s next court date is Jan. 29.
Williams’ daughter, Pam Martin told The Bee on Sunday that she was not at the home at the time of the crash, but that several of her relatives had gathered to watch the NFL playoff game between the 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Martin’s sister called her and alerted her to what had happened, she said. Relatives told Martin the car crashed through the living room wall after swerving to avoid another car at the nearby intersection of Coloma and Chardonay Drive.
Neighbors at the scene said the stretch of Coloma Road is a dangerous area where many people speed. The road has a 40 mph speed limit, with a nearby preschool reducing that to 25 mph when children are present.
“There’s a lot of accidents right there,” Lisa Gallegos said Sunday. “I think they need to do something to get people to slow down. This is the second time someone has plowed into this house. They need a greater police presence or they they need to lower the speed limit.”
Another neighbor, Alissa Tramontanas, said Sunday that there are “constantly accidents happening” in the area.
“People fly down. Sometimes it’s hard to see when you’re turning because of the bushes,” Tramontanas said.
Tramontanas also said Williams’ family had recently moved in to the home. Neighbors said the previous homeowner planted trees in front of the home due to the traffic danger.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 8:11 AM.
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