By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-12 16:00:54 | Updated at 2026-06-12 18:30:16
2 hours ago
A California cardiologist was sentenced to just eight months behind bars after he ran over a mom who had stopped to help another crash victim and fled the scene.
James Comazzi, 72, pleaded no contest to the deadly hit and run and was sentenced in a Fresno County courtroom on Wednesday, KFSN reported.
He struck aspiring nurse Juliana Ramos, 26, as she stopped on Highway 99 in February 2021.
Mother of three Ramos was just two days shy of her 27th birthday when she: 'Pulled over to help another driver who had just been in a car accident,' her family said in a GoFundMe.
She was killed instantly and police said Comazzi got out of his vehicle briefly but then fled the scene.
Investigators searched for the driver for months until Comazzi was eventually identified through an anonymous tip.
Comazzi pleaded no contest to felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges in March.
At Wednesday's sentencing, Judge Geoffrey D Wilson told Comazzi that had he stayed at the scene, the case could have been handled differently.
James Comazzi, 72, pleaded no contest to the deadly hit and run of an aspiring nurse and was sentenced to eight months behind bars
Police said Comazzi struck and killed Juliana Ramos, 26, as she stopped to help another crash victim in February 2021
'Had he stuck around at that point, had he stayed, this case at all, would've been brought as a misdemeanor,' Wilson said.
Comazzi was sentenced to eight months in the Fresno County Jail.
Ramos' family condemned the sentence, saying it should be longer and that they are still mourning their loss.
'I believe that Mr. Comazzi does not deserve the sentence of probation with up to a year in jail,' Ivette Lopez, Ramos' niece, said in court.
'That decision was set to be based on his age and lack of criminal record.
'But what about Juli? Did her age not matter? She had no criminal record. She was going to school to become a CNA [Certified Nursing Assistant.]
'What kind of doctor in any specialty does that? He managed to get away with it for eight months.
'Did he have any remorse? Did he think about the pain he had caused for my family?'
Ramos was a mother-of-three who was just two days shy of her 27th birthday when she was killed
Police said Comazzi got out of his vehicle briefly and then fled the scene. He apologized to the Ramos family at his sentencing hearing
Lopez added:'My grandma lost her daughter, my mom, aunts, and uncles lost her sister.
'My cousin lost an aunt and I lost a best friend. But most importantly, her kids lost their mother at a very young age.'
During the hearing, the cardiologist apologized to Ramos' family.
'No words can undo the past or fix the profound brokenness caused by my actions,' he said.
Comazzi previously worked at Adventist Health Sonora and had been practicing for more than 20 years. He no longer appears on their list of staff.
The Daily Mail has contacted the hospital for comment.
