A man accused of driving recklessly on a Fresno County road before a crash that killed a cyclist will get no jail time, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Johnson Chang, 50, was sentenced to 180 days in custody — none of which is required to be behind bars — for his part in the Oct. 2, 2022, crash that killed Adela Santana, a Fresno State professor and mother of five.
Chang was ordered to serve 90 days on work release and 90 days in home detention after he pleaded “no contest” on Wednesday in front of Fresno County Judge Jonathan Conklin.
The Department of Motor Vehicles would determine what the sentence meant for Chang’s license, Conklin said.
Three California Highway Patrol officers testified the area of the collision on Watts Valley Road near Pittman Hill Road was steep and made it difficult for those on either side of a hill to see traffic coming from the other direction.
Chang’s attorney, Roger Bonakdar, said his client was a law-abiding father and husband involved in an accident with no malice.
“My client was entirely empathetic to anyone who was hurt by this,” Bonakdar said. “This was a tragedy, but it was a tragedy that could have befallen anyone. It’s sad that it happened.”
A number of fellow cyclists spoke during victim impact statements, which the court allows before a judge hands down a sentence.
They described Santana as “one of the best people I’ve ever met,” a “bright light” and “the best of us” as they remembered a loving mother and devoted educator.
One of them read from a letter written by Alda Santana, a younger sister to Adela Santana who said the case was too overwhelming to be in person. She called the crash “preventable” and mourned the time her sister has lost with her five children.
“She will never get to see them grow up,” the letter said. “She will never witness what they become.”
Santana, 51, an anthropology professor, was riding a Giant road bike on Oct. 2, 2022, with three friends on Watts Valley Road when she was struck by the 2017 Acura NSX driven by Chang, according to the CHP.
Multiple CHP officers testified they recorded skid marks in the road showing the Acura had crossed the center line. The judge determined the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office had not proved Chang should be charged with a felony, and thus he faced a misdemeanor.
Adela Santana-Mullooly, 51, was the victim of a fatal head-on collision with a car while riding her bicycle in eastern Fresno County.
Adela Luisa Santana is shown in an undated photo. She was killed on her bicycle in an October 2022 collision with a car in eastern Fresno County.