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CRIME Victims' families recount pain, loss as drunken driver sentenced to 15 years Family members recount pain, loss from drunken driver's actions Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2014 at 3:39 PM Updated Nov 18, 2014 at 6:19 PM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2014 at 3:39 PM Updated Nov 18, 2014 at 6:19 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Manslaughter charged in double-fatal car crash • Second person dies following North River Road accident • One killed, two seriously injured in Gold Hill crash » Social News When Molli Campos heard from her mom that her dad had been in an accident, she at first thought her dad was probably fine since he was so strong. "When she said the words, 'Your dad didn't make it,' in those first two seconds I thought I was having a nightmare," Campos, 18, said Tuesday during a Jackson County Circuit Court hearing in which Lynda Mae Taylor of Grants Pass pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants and third-degree assault in the wake of a crash that killed two men. Campos said she still cries every night since the death of her father, Joe David Campos, 40, in the April 2 crash on North River Road between Gold Hill and the city of Rogue River. Sometimes it's just a few tears and sometimes her whole pillowcase is soaked, she said. Taylor, 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the deaths of Joe Campos, who was a passenger in her car, and Jerry Vernon Barrett, 80, who was in an oncoming vehicle. She was sentenced to an additional five years on the DUII and assault charges for a total of 15 years in prison. Joe Campos, who was divorced, was Taylor's fiancé. Investigators say Taylor was driving at a high rate of speed when she lost control and traveled into an oncoming lane of traffic and crashed. Campos was killed at the scene. Barrett, a Medford resident, was transported to Providence Medford Medical Center, where he died nine hours later. His granddaughter, Jennifer Hall of Rogue River, said when help first arrived at the crash scene, her grandfather selflessly asked the responders to help the people in the other vehicle first. His injuries included punctured lungs, bleeding on the brain, broken arms and a broken collarbone, Hall said. Family members watched him die in the hospital. For his final 20 minutes, Barrett was drowning on the fluids in his lungs, Hall said. Hall said if she could impose an additional punishment on Taylor, it would be to have to watch Barrett as he died. She described her grandfather as the rock and the glue of her family. Shelli Campos, Joe's ex-wife, displayed a poster-sized family portrait of her and her husband with their daughter and two young sons, taken when the family was still intact. The remaining members of the family live in Medford. She read a letter from her older son to the courtroom in which he said he was sad because his dad is gone. She had her sons, ages 8 and 13, leave the room as she tearfully described the effect of Joe's death on the children. Shelli said the day Joe was killed, she lost a piece of each one of her children. She said a piece of their hearts is missing. "There is a joy that is gone," she said, adding the children continue to attend counseling and grief support groups. Two were put on medication to help treat their depression. "They even feel the pain of their loss in their dreams," Shelli said. She said the most painful experience of her life has been not being able to take away the pain felt by her children. They are reminded of their father's death every time they see other children with their dads, Shelli said. Shelli said 15 years in prison for Taylor cannot compare to the years of life Joe could have lived or the lost years her children would have had with their father. But she said she forgave Taylor and hoped she would seek addiction treatment in prison. One hour after the April 2 crash, Taylor's blood alcohol level was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.  A urine test also turned up a cocktail of marijuana, morphine and other drugs in her system, according to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. On Jan. 25, 2008, Taylor was convicted of DUII from two separate incidents. Jackson County Circuit Judge Kelly Ravassipour said it was very disturbing that Taylor had two prior DUIIs and had attended a victims' panel to learn firsthand the impacts of drunken driving — but still chose to drink and drive on April 2. "This is the reality of what happens when people drink and drive," Ravassipour said. For her part, Taylor said she has no memory of the events leading up to the crash or the crash itself. In a letter read aloud by her defense attorney, Taylor said she awoke from a coma in the hospital and instantly called out for Joe. She kept asking a nurse what had happened and the nurse finally said there had been an accident and he was dead. Still in disbelief, Taylor called her aunt, who confirmed he had been killed. Lying helpless and broken in her hospital bed, Taylor said she died inside when she heard her soon-to-be husband was gone. After her release from the hospital, Taylor was put in handcuffs and informed she was being charged in the deaths of two men, the letter said. Speaking for herself in the courtroom, Taylor said, "I die every day knowing what my actions have caused." Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or  [email protected] . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2014 at 3:39 PM Updated Nov 18, 2014 at 6:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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