Woman Who Killed Someone While Driving Wrong Way On Freeway Sentenced In SMC: Prosecutors

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A Campbell woman who pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a deadly 2023 wrong-way crash on Interstate 280 has been sentenced to nine years in state prison, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Constellatia Martin, 27, received the sentence following her no contest plea to felony vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving causing great bodily injury, and hit-and-run charges, prosecutors said.

The fatal collision occurred around 2:38 p.m. on April 22, 2023. Martin, who was 26 at the time, was driving a 2010 Ford Fusion south in the northbound lanes of I-280 near the Woodside Road exit when she struck a 2019 BMW SUV head-on, police said.

The driver of the BMW, 54-year-old Eden Palmer of San Francisco, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Palmer’s 16-year-old son, a passenger in the backseat, suffered major injuries in the crash, officials said.

Following the impact, Martin fled the scene. California Highway Patrol officers later found her in a ditch. According to the District Attorney's office, officers noted she exhibited erratic behavior.

Martin initially sought a mental health diversion in the case, but Judge Susan Jakubowski denied that motion in March 2025. Martin’s no contest plea in October 2023 resolved the case, leading to the dismissal of other charges in exchange for a potential maximum sentence of nine years and eight months.