Eckstrom sentenced to 10 years in prison in death of Betsy Crowder Eckstrom sentenced to 10 years in prison in death of Betsy Crowder (October 10, 2001)

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

By now Paul Eckstrom of Portola Valley is probably in San Quentin Prison awaiting a decision on where he will spend the next 10 years for causing the weird accident that killed environmental leader Betsy Crowder of Portola Valley.

On October 2, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall sentenced Mr. Eckstrom to 10 years in prison, the maximum sentence in the vehicular manslaughter case. Lesser charges related to drunk driving and driving under a suspended license were dropped in return for his no-contest plea on the more serious charge.

The sentence came one year and three days after Mr. Eckstrom, driving with a blood-alcohol level of .31, slammed into a telephone pole launching the chain reaction that left Mrs. Crowder dead and two others wounded or traumatized.

Last September 29, Mr. Eckstrom was driving south on Portola Road about 11 p.m. when he veered off the road and sheered off a telephone pole, breaking its support cable. At .31, his blood alcohol level was almost four times the legal limit.

What followed could never have been predicted. Mrs. Crowder, returning from an Explorer's Club dinner, was driving past the Village Square shopping center when her car got tangled in the debris. As she got out, a car coming the other way caught the broken cable in its wheel. The car flipped, and the cable whipped around, catching Mrs. Crowder, throwing her down, and killing her instantly. The 16-year-old driver, also from Portola Valley, was not hurt.

Meanwhile, Christopher Fathman, a waiter at the nearby Parkside Grille and also a Portola Valley resident, came out to help. A piece of shrapnel hit Mr. Fathman in the face, shattering bones and knocking him unconscious.

This is a tragedy that will go on and on, Judge Hall reflected in a careful summary, as reported by observers. It will affect the family of the victim, the family of the defendant and the good Samaritan who came from the restaurant to help. The young driver with his brand-new license will live with this for the rest of his life.

Mrs. Crowder, a longtime Peninsula activist for conservation and trails, was serving a third term on the board of directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. She had been a planning commissioner in Portola Valley, a member of the Palo Alto planning staff, and a leader in many conservation organizations. At the time of her death, she was working with Jean Rusmore of Ladera on the third edition of "South Bay Trails."

"This was a great loss to the environmental world," said activist Lennie Roberts of Ladera at the hearing, attended by Mrs. Crowder's daughters, Wendy and Anne, and several other friends and colleagues.

Mr. Eckstrom had a long history of drunken driving violations, reported Deputy District Attorney Kevin McGee. He was convicted of "driving under the influence" twice in 1990 and 1991, and there was a warrant out for his arrest in two more cases dating from 1998.

This was no accident, Judge Hall concluded in imposing the maximum sentence, according to Mr. McGee. Based on his history, he knew this could happen; yet he chose to drive, Mr. McGee said.