A Lemon Grove man was sentenced Friday to eight years in state prison for a drunk driving crash that killed a mother in front of her teenage son and fiancé last year, authorities and court officials said.

James Mendias, 29, pleaded guilty in El Cajon Superior Court to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and related charges for the June 29 crash that claimed the life of Tonia Silva, 36, on Broadway in Lemon Grove.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, Mendias was driving his pickup truck westbound in the eastbound lanes of Broadway at roughly 70 mph when he struck a Ford Explorer carrying Silva, her 15-year-old son and her fiancé head-on. When the fiancé attempted to swerve out of the way, Mendias' truck mirrored the maneuver and turned directly into their vehicle, Deputy District Attorney Yasmin Bigdeli said at sentencing.

A blood-alcohol test later measured Mendias at 0.16% — twice California's legal driving limit of 0.08%. Open alcohol containers and a canister of nitrous oxide were found in and around Mendias' truck after the crash, according to the Sheriff's Office. Video evidence and a witness account from an off-duty law enforcement officer corroborated the wrong-way driving.

Defense attorney Charles Gilliland said his client was remorseful and chose to resolve the case early — before a preliminary hearing — to spare the victim's family from reliving the details. Prior to sentencing, Mendias addressed Silva's family. "Sorry isn't enough," he said. "I know if I had the power to change things, I would 100% change it."

The sentencing serves as a reminder of the consequences of impaired driving in East County. Anyone with information about drunk driving can contact the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at 858-565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.