Sonora doctor sentenced to eight months in jail for crash that killed Reedley woman
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- A Sonora cardiologist received an eight-month Fresno County Jail sentence.
- James Comazzi pleaded no contest to hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter.
- Juliana Ramos was killed Feb. 10, 2021 at about 12:30 a.m. on Highway 99.
A cardiologist from Sonora was sentenced to eight months in the Fresno County Jail for hitting and killing a 26-year-old nurse from Reedley who was helping a crash victim on Highway 99.
Family members of Juliana Ramos cried quietly as Judge Geoffrey D. Wilson announced the punishment for James Comazzi, 72, who pleaded no contest to one count of hit and run resulting in permanent injury or death and vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
“We lost her two days before her birthday, but instead of celebrating we had to bury her and mourn her,” said Jessica Ramos.
Ramos, who was also a mother of three, was struck and killed on Feb. 10, 2021, at about 12:30 a.m. as she was helping the victim of a crash on northbound Highway 99 near the Manning Avenue exit.
Comazzi’s defense is that he thought he hit a guardrail, not a person. And while he said he stopped for about 10 minutes, he did not render aid or speak with the California Highway Patrol. He drove home while law enforcement searched for him and his damaged vehicle.
In a statement to the judge Comazzi said he was “deeply grief stricken” by what happened and that he wished he could have slowed his vehicle down to allow her to run to safety.
Law enforcement arrested Comazzi eight months after Ramos’s death, thanks to a tip to Crime Stoppers.
During his sentencing, Comazzi was flanked by two of Fresno’s top defense lawyers, Jeff Hammerschmidt, who is currently campaigning for a judgeship, and Tony Capozzi.
In the audience were nearly a dozen of Comazzi’s family and friends, several who described him as a caring, compassionate and religious man.
Prosecutor Sierra teNyenhuis said two things can be true about a person like Comazzi. He is charitable, kind and devoted to his wife and he made a tragic mistake.
“His actions caused the loss of Julianna’s life and the fact that he did not stop at the scene can go both ways, it is more aggravation than mitigation,” she said. “He left, and did not reach out to police.“
teNyenhuis pushed for a two-year sentence, while the probation department was recommending a year in jail. Wilson settled on probation, plus 8 months in county jail.
“Mr. Comazzi is eligible for probation and there is no legal reason to deny it,” Wilson said.
After the hearing, Ramos said she felt let down.
“It is not what we wanted,” she said. “But there is nothing we can do about that anymore.”
