Milpitas Student Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter

A Calaveras Hills High School student who fatally struck a pedestrian near campus two months ago is now getting her day in court.

Karina Velez, 18, faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving while unlicensed and failing to provide evidence of financial responsibility for her vehicle.

The charges were filed by the District Attorney's office on March 28.

Velez appeared in court on May 2 and did not enter a plea. She is expected to enter a plea at her next scheduled court date, May 23. Velez is not in jail; she self-surrendered to the sheriff's office and bailed out, according to Milpitas police Sgt. Daryl Sequeira.

The victim, Milpitas resident , 73, died from her injuries the day after the Feb. 16 accident. She is believed to have been crossing the street after getting off a bus.

Investigators obtained videotapes from Valley Transportation Authority that showed Martinez getting off the bus shortly before 8 a.m., near the time of the crash, according to the police report.

The report contains interviews with Velez, family members of Martinez and witnesses. Velez said she was driving her 2-year-old daughter to the day care on campus of the continuation school, because it had been raining that day. She has never been issued a driver's license, or a learner's permit, according to her statement.

"I took her more than a couple of times to drive in a parking lot," said her mother, Maria Velez. "It was just an accident. She's very saddened."

The blue Saturn SL1 that Karina Velez drove belongs to her brother, who is away at college. 

According to the police report, Velez was driving down Carnegie Drive. When she stopped at the Calaveras intersection, she turned left and then proceeded to make a right into the Milpitas Unified School District parking lot to get to the day care.

She is believed to have struck Martinez in a marked crosswalk at about 15-25 miles an hour, according to the officers who investigated and produced the report. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour.

A classmate of Velez, identified as Danny Aguilar in the report, had been walking towards campus at the time. He stated he did not see the collision itself, but saw the front windshield fogged up when he got to the car.

The victim, Myrla Martinez, was returning from her regular trip to a church on Wednesdays where she would pick up free groceries, according to her husband Edgardo Martinez in the report.

According to friends, Martinez worked part-time at Saks Off Fifth at the Great Mall. She also was a member of the Barbara Lee Senior Center.