Placerville, CA (Oct 19, 2024) – On October 7, El Dorado County Judge Mark Ralphs handed down a 10-year state prison sentence to Erica Lynn Chambers, 37, for the tragic death of her boyfriend, Mason Visman. Chambers had pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit-and-run, and driving under the influence causing injury.
The fatal incident occurred on November 11, 2022, after Chambers and Visman attended a family wedding. Chambers was driving a Mercedes SUV on Highway 50 near the Mosquito Road exit in Placerville at high speed when she rear-ended a Toyota Prius and collided with a guardrail. Visman, ejected through an open window, was killed instantly. The occupants of the Prius sustained minor injuries. Eyewitnesses reported that Chambers attempted to flee the scene, but the damaged vehicle traveled only a few hundred yards before she exited and collapsed.
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At the time of her arrest, Chambers, highly intoxicated, did not disclose to authorities that Visman had been in the vehicle. His body was discovered the following day by a passerby, leading to Chambers’ re-arrest on the vehicular manslaughter charge.
The case was thoroughly investigated by multiple agencies, including the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and its Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT), the Placerville Police Department, and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy District Attorney Michael P. Pizzuti, who prosecutes serious DUI and vehicular manslaughter cases for the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, led the prosecution, supported by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
See 2022 story: Man Found Dead in Brush Day After Highway 50 Crash
