Merced man sentenced in Empire crash that killed 11-year-old Ceres girl

Milana Barragan was a feisty, sweet 11-year-old girl with hopes of becoming a singer, a video game designer or a veterinarian when she grew up. But that all ended in a 2014 crash in Empire.

Rachel Barragan, Milana’s mother, said in court Tuesday that her daughter had a lot she wanted to do with her life. “Because of Ronald Nole, she doesn’t get to,” the mother told the judge.

Nole, 58, of Merced on Tuesday morning pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Nole has said he crashed into the Barragan family’s car after suffering a medical emergency associated with his Type 1 diabetes and lost consciousness at the wheel.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Ricardo Córdova sentenced Nole to serve 200 hours of community service and three years of probation.

The judge also ordered Nole to provide documentation to probation officials every 60 days that indicates he is complying with his medication and other treatment for his diabetes and his doctor has medically cleared him to drive. If he fails to provide such documentation, the court could consider it a probation violation.

Days after the fatal crash, Nole told The Bee that his blood glucose level was 29 when the paramedic checked it. Even in the morning, after a person fasts all night, a normal blood glucose level is between 70 and 100.

“I am terribly sorry, and whatever comes back to me, I have to accept it,” Nole said in June 2014. “There is nothing I can do to change what happened.”

As Tuesday’s hearing began, the defendant indicated he wanted to make a statement in court. He later changed his mind and did not speak in court.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment against Nole. The defendant’s 13-year-old son was a passenger in the Ford F-250 pickup Nole was driving.

Córdova said in court that he wishes he could make it easier for Milana’s family, and recognizes they will feel an intense grief during each holiday, anniversary and family gathering. The judge told the defendant he hopes Nole feels the same kind of grief the girl’s family feels.

“I know you didn’t do this on purpose, but I hope this weighs heavily on you for the rest of your life,” Córdova told Nole.

HEADING TO FAMILY REUNION

The crash occurred in the afternoon of May 31, 2014. Members of the Barragan family were in two cars on their way to a family reunion. Nole and his son were heading to Riverbank to celebrate his cousin’s second birthday.

The Barragan family was stopped at a red light at Yosemite Boulevard at Santa Fe Avenue when a Mercury Sable in the rear, driven by Rachel Barragan, was hit from behind by Nole’s pickup that was moving about 45 mph.

The judge gave Milana’s family a chance to speak in court about the impact of her death before Nole was sentenced.

Rachel Barragan said her daughter was riding in the backseat. Milana was excited about having a slumber party with her cousins, where they could eat pizza and play video games. Her mother said Milana loved puzzles, Pokemon games and the color yellow because it represented happiness to her.

She said she didn’t see Nole’s pickup coming. “Everything went black,” she said about the crash.

Rachel Barragan was seriously injured, drifting in and out of consciousness. She said the crash crushed her daughter in the car’s back seat.

Medics tried to revive the girl, who was flown to a hospital in Sacramento, where she was later pronounced dead. Her family said her head was so swollen she was unrecognizable, and her injuries were so severe that her organs could not be donated.

Her mother remained hospitalized as she dealt with the agony of losing her daughter. “Each time they would have to remind me that she wasn’t coming back,” Rachel Barragan said while fighting back tears.

She said all they have left is pictures and memories of Milana after this “life-altering tragedy.”

John Barragan, Milana’s grandfather, said his family has been devastated beyond words by his granddaughter’s death. He said they felt wounded again when Nole asked the court to reinstate his driver’s license soon after he was criminally charged in the crash.

Leticia Barragan, Milana’s grandmother, said Nole has shown no remorse during his court appearance, and her family is fearful he might cause another crash. “I felt like a dagger was plunged into me when (the license reinstatement) was granted,” the grandmother said.

Melissa Barragan, Milana’s aunt, wrote a letter that was read in court. She called the defendant arrogant, offering to apologize while justifying his actions that day. She said she had been a diabetic for 18 years and knows that crash could have been prevented.

“Your poor choice that day killed a little girl,” the aunt wrote in her letter.

Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Darnell read in court several other letters from Milana’s family, but he said the letter from her 6-year-old little brother, Ezuriah Olvera, is just as compelling.

The boy wrote that he misses his sister and wishes he could see her still. He said his mother cries every day, and that affects him.

“I feel sad because this happened,” Ezuriah wrote in his letter to the court. “Would you like it if it happened to you? Would you be sad?”

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Merced man sentenced in Empire crash that killed 11-year-old Ceres girl."