Trial continues against woman accused of causing fatal crash while texting at the wheel | News

TUCSON – (KVOA) The trial began Thursday for Jana Giron, an Oro Valley woman accused of causing a fatal crash in November 2019 that killed a young couple.

Prosecutors allege Giron was texting while driving before she struck Caitlin Festerling and her boyfriend, Paul Garcia, on Shannon Road near Lambert Lane.

According to prosecutors, Giron was driving 53 miles per hour, faster than the speed limit, at the time of the accident.

The force of the impact caused Festerling's car to be thrown into oncoming traffic. Festerling's car was hit by a truck.

Festerling, 21, and Garcia, 22, were killed.

On Thursday, prosecutors called an expert on distracted driving as a witness.

Dr. David Strayer testified that Giron was sending and receiving text messages at the time of the collision and looked at her phone immediately before the accident.

“If you took your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, at their speed you would have traveled about 107 yards, a little more than the length of a football field,” Strayer said. “At that point you're looking at the phone to read the answer, not looking where you're going. So that increases the risk of hitting something if something happens within that time period.”

The trial will continue Friday morning and the case is expected to go to the jury next week.