Head-on crash was an accident, autopsy finds

Diabetic driver who killed 2 San Diego detectives had normal blood sugar level.

SAN DIEGO — A headon freeway crash in June that killed two off-duty police detectives and a Ramona woman was an accident, according to a recently released autopsy finding by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Sandra Lee Daniels, 58, had a small amount of Valium in her system but no alcohol and normal glucose levels when she entered the southbound 5 Freeway in San Ysidro and headed north, the autopsy report said.

Daniels slammed headon into a car driven by Det. Ryan Park, 32, killing him and his wife, fellow Det. Jamie Huntley-Park, 33. Autopsy reports said all three died from multiple bluntforce injuries in the June 4 crash.

A toxicology expert said the amount of Valium detected in Daniels’ body was relatively small, and it would be difficult to pinpoint the last time she used the drug.

She had a glucose level of 159 mg/dL, which is considered normal, said Dr. Steven Campman, the county’s chief medical examiner.

Daniels was diabetic and had other health problems, including needing crutches to get around. Her husband had wondered if she had become disoriented because of low blood sugar the morning of the crash.

Darrell Daniels told the Union-Tribune in June that his wife was “directionally challenged” and often had problems when she had to drive on Interstate 5. He told the Medical Examiner’s Office the same thing.

“According to the decedent’s husband, the decedent received medical treatment at Balboa Naval Hospital and frequently would go too far on Interstate 5 and get too close to the border,” Deputy Medical Examiner Robert Stabley wrote in the autopsy report.

In June, Daniels said that his wife would not have intentionally driven the wrong way. “She never would have wanted to hurt anyone,” he said. Daniels couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

Stabley said Daniels was unaware of any alcohol consumption or illicit drug use by his wife and that she had “no suicidal ideations” or previous suicide attempts.

The morning of the crash, Sandra Daniels had driven to the hospital to pick up insulin before heading south toward the border.

Park and Huntley-Park were in the fast lane in their unmarked department car when they were struck by Daniels’ vehicle.

Park and Huntley-Park were two well-liked detectives who officials said had promising careers ahead of them at the San Diego Police Department. The couple lived in Escondido.

They had met at the San Diego police academy in 2012 and married in 2016 — and were promoted to detectives on the same day in 2018. Park investigated homicides while Huntley-Park worked in the department’s Southern Division.

Huntley-Park played hockey in college and was a coach and mentor to younger players. She was also a hockey referee, with aspirations of working Olympic games.

Park was an avid runner who participated in the grueling annual 120-mile Bakerto-Vegas relay race run by law enforcement teams.

The day they died they were off the clock but following up on cases.