Girl, 12, Describes Fatal Crash at Doctor’s Trial : Courts: Karie Minzey tells of collision that killed her parents and injured her, two others. Physician is accused of second-degree murder.
SANTA ANA — A giggly 12-year-old schoolgirl silenced a courtroom Monday when she smiled and insisted that she doesn’t hate anyone--not even the doctor who was high on drugs and alcohol when he caused a car crash that killed her parents and left her disfigured.
Some of the Orange County Superior Court jurors appeared to blink back tears as Karie Minzey testified on the first day of a trial for Ronald Allen, who is accused of second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the July, 1993, tragedy.
Wearing a purple plaid skirt and sporting short blonde hair that framed her distorted face, the girl remained chipper even when recalling the crash that killed her parents, Noreen and Mark Minzey.
When Assistant Public Defender Michael P. Giannini asked Karie whether she is always happy, she replied, “Yes, I am.†While Allen clasped his hands and appeared on the verge of tears, the attorney then asked the girl whether she hated anyone in the courtroom. “No,†she quickly responded.
The Minzeys and two other passengers were driving home from a softball game on July 11, 1993, when the Laguna Beach physician swerved across the solid yellow lines on Santiago Canyon Road outside the Orange city limit and hit the Minzeys’ car head-on. The other passengers were also injured. All of the victims were wearing seat belts.
Prosecutors charged Allen with murder because of his history of driving while intoxicated. But Allen’s defense attorney contends his client turned to drugs and alcohol because he suffers from clinical depression and was devastated by his father’s death hours before the crash. The defense says he should be convicted of vehicular manslaughter.
In her first public comments, Karie charmed jurors along with the courtroom audience as she punctuated her sentences with a girlish laugh but also spoke with a sophistication beyond her years.
She suffered a broken left knee and right wrist, but the most serious injuries were to her head.
“It’s sunk in,†Karie said, shrugging, as she described the injuries to her left eye socket and cheekbone.
While she was in a coma, doctors shaved her head and removed nearly the entire left side of her skull to relieve pressure on her swollen brain. She said she didn’t realize the extent of her injuries “until I looked in a mirror and my hair was shaved off and half my skull was taken out.†She told jurors that she had to learn to walk again.
Karie squirmed in her seat when the prosecutor asked about her grades. “Do I have to say?†she said to courtroom laughter. “As, Bs and maybe one or two Cs.â€
The girl told jurors her family and friends were on their way home after celebrating a softball victory--a victory sealed by Minzey, although she was modest in acknowledging it: “I guess you could call the triple I hit the winning hit.â€
Karie’s prognosis is unclear. She has regained mobility in her legs, but must undergo further operations. The removed portion of her skull was frozen and later replaced, but it has not healed properly and has left a large sunken spot on the left rear side of her head.
Prosecutors say Allen, 32, studied the effects of drugs and alcohol in medical school and had been stopped for driving intoxicated on three prior occasions, two involving crashes.
Prosecutor Robert Molko told jurors Allen was driving recklessly on the day of the crash, using left-turn pockets to speed ahead of traffic. Blood tests show Allen had taken five different drugs and alcohol before the fatal crash.
“He willingly decided to take the drugs and alcohol knowing he would have to drive,†Molko told jurors.
But the defense said Monday that Allen was suffering from clinical depression, work stress and financial problems. The internist who had dedicated himself to treating AIDS patients broke down and sobbed uncontrollably during Giannini’s statements.
Compounding Allen’s grief, Giannini said, was Allen’s lie a day before the fatal accident, when he claimed his father was suffering from heart trouble and asked a co-worker to cover for him on his rounds.
“I don’t know how the Greek gods do these things . . . but exactly what Ron said came true,†Giannini told jurors.
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