Eric Fisher was rushed to Kaweah Delta Medical Center just after 6:30 p.m. on May 27.

As paramedics wheeled the gurney into the emergency room, Fisher wasn't breathing, his heart had stopped and his pupils were dilated.

He was in "critical" condition.  

The 35-year-old Visalia man had been hit by a car and dragged down the street. His ribs were broken and had punctured his lungs. He lost so much blood he was barely bleeding by the time he made it to the operating room, Dr. Ameneh Kalani said in court on Tuesday.

A team of doctors and nurses began life-saving efforts. Kalani opened Fisher's chest to massage his heart. There was less than a 1 percent chance he would survive.

"He looked young," Kalani said. "I felt I should give him a chance." 

Doctors worked for hours to keep Fisher alive. An orthopedic surgeon amputated Fisher's leg which was nearly severed in the crash. 

"I tried to keep him warm, get him out of the OR, but I was not successful," Kalani said. 

At 10:17 p.m., Kalani pronounced Fisher dead.

The woman behind the wheel of the car that hit Fisher was Chaylin Funez. The 18-year-old is accused of intentionally slamming her car into Fisher outside of his Visalia home while his family watched from the yard.

She and boyfriend, Eddie Perez, then fled. 

The couple doesn't claim the incident didn't happen. But their version differs from witnesses, who portray Fisher as a good neighbor who would help anyone. Funez also claims there was no intent to hit and kill Fisher. 

They say he was drunk and provoked the couple by throwing something at the car. 

Visalia Motorcycle officer Jeff Wheeler — an expert in collision reconstruction — has investigated hundreds of traffic collisions and crashes, he said. Following the collision, he was assigned to the case.

According to his report, there was no sign Funez hit the brakes until after she hit Fisher. 

Wheeler said Funez was turning left onto Prospect Avenue when she swerved right, into Fisher's path. Witnesses said the collision occurred moments after Fisher tried to break up a fight between Perez and another man. 

Perez said he wasn't fighting. 

Funez was going roughly 30 mph when she hit Fisher. There was no damage to the curb or the undercarriage of the car, which would have indicated the brakes were pushed, Wheeler said. 

During the defense's cross-examination, Funez's attorney, Nick Schuller, tried to poke holes in Wheeler's testimony by asking if there was room for error. 

"There's always room for error," Wheeler said.

Wheeler said it was likely Funez accelerated toward Fisher. Schuller asked if it were possible that Funez was in neutral. 

"It's possible the car was coasting, but not probable," Wheeler said. 

Schuller then questioned the two areas of impact at the scene.

Eddie Perez, who was a passenger in Funez's car, testified that Fisher walked into the roadway. 

Although Wheeler's reconstruction does not put Fisher exactly on the curb when he was initially hit, he could not have been on the street, Wheeler said.

The trial will continue on Wednesday. 

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