JAMUL, Calif — A man towing a boat in Jamul that detached from a trailer and crashed into a car driven by the wife of then-interim San Diego Harbor Police Chief Kirk Nichols, killing her, was sentenced Friday to four years in state prison.
Robert Keith Thomas, 30, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter for causing the Feb. 5, 2022, crash that killed 49-year-old Jennifer Nichols.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Thomas drove a pickup truck on state Route 94, pulling a boat trailer. The vessel detached from the trailer slid across the roadway, and collided with Nichols' car.
She later died at a hospital. Kirk Nichols was riding in the front passenger seat during the crash and suffered minor injuries.
The crash is also the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit filed last week on behalf of Nichols' husband and two children.
The suit alleges Thomas was negligent in maintaining his truck and ensuring the 26-foot boat he was towing was properly attached to the trailer before the deadly crash.
According to the complaint, Thomas drove to Jamul to pick up the boat after seeing an online advertisement offering to give the boat and trailer away for free.
The suit alleges that after driving down Honey Springs Road, Thomas approached a stop sign at the intersection of state Route 94 but could not stop because the truck's brakes weren't fully operational. The suit also states the boat and trailer were too heavy to be towed by the truck, and all brake components had previously been removed from the trailer.
Thomas attempted to make the turn onto state Route 94, at which point the boat separated from the trailer and crashed into the Nichols' car.
The lawsuit also names the man who gave away the boat as a defendant and alleges he did not properly ensure the boat was properly secured to the trailer or take other precautions while knowing Thomas would be towing the boat.
The suit also names the pickup truck's owner as a defendant and alleges he did not properly maintain his truck or take reasonable steps to learn how his truck would be used on the date of the fatality.
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