Dawn Miley
A Gardnerville woman whose low blood sugar level reportedly led to a head-on collision that wiped out a family of four last summer is to appear April 7 in East Fork Justice Court.
Dawn Miley, 43, was charged with reckless endangerment causing death or substantial bodily harm in the July 14 deaths of four members of a Torrance, Calif., family on their way to Lake Tahoe for vacation.
Miley turned herself in Thursday to Douglas County officials and posted $2,500 cash bail.
According to the criminal complaint, Miley self-medicated her diabetic condition without supervision of a physician. That resulted in her driving while her level of consciousness was altered by low blood sugar, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.
Witnesses said Miley was driving southbound at a high speed on Highway 395, passing several vehicles before her 2002 Suzuki sport utility vehicle left the roadway surface along the right, overcorrected, and struck a pickup truck in the northbound lane near Leviathan Mine Road.
Killed at the scene were Jerome Calevro, 58; his wife, Maria Amelia, 52; daughter Bernadette, 23, and son Jerome Daniel, 15.
Miley was taken by helicopter to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno where she was treated for internal injuries.
Investigators subpoenaed her medical records from two Carson City doctors who indicated they warned her of the dangers of not monitoring her condition under a physician's supervision and she knew the risks.
One doctor said he told her that low-cost or free treatment was available. He also told her to enroll in a free diabetes education program but she did not follow his advice, according to reports.
Prosecutor Kris Brown said there was no alcohol in Miley's system.
Brown said the penalty, if convicted, is up to five years in prison. She said the charge could be amended to add additional counts.
Explaining the delay between the accident and filing the charges, Brown said prosecutors had to wait for the Nevada Highway Patrol report, search warrants for medical records and information from other law enforcement agencies.
According to court documents, Miley caused a three-car collision in 2002 in California in which she and six other people were injured. Brown said she didn't believe Miley was prosecuted for the earlier accident that the defendant attributed to her medical condition.