‘I tried to avoid him’: Ex-Bishop Gorman star testifies about fatal crash
Former Bishop Gorman basketball standout Zaon Collins testified Friday that he “lost track” of his speed the day he killed another driver in a 2020 crash.
Collins, a star UNLV recruit, who is now a junior at Fresno State, was sentenced to three months in jail and three years of probation in 2023 after pleading guilty to reckless driving resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter. He ended up spending 56 days in jail.
He spoke to jurors in an ongoing civil trial stemming from a 2021 lawsuit in which the wife and son of 52-year-old Eric Echevarria alleged wrongful death and negligence.
At the time of the accident, Collins said he was headed to basketball practice. He said he thought Echevarria, who was trying to make a left turn, noticed him.
“But he didn’t see me,” he said. “He just cut right in front of me.”
“I tried to avoid him,” Collins added. He confirmed to his attorney, Stephanie Zinna, that he hit the brakes and swerved. In the aftermath, he said, he left his car and checked on Echevarria.
The next thing he remembers is being in jail, he said.
It was a juror who asked why Collins was speeding at the time.
“I just lost track of my speed,” he said. “I just didn’t know I was going that fast.”
Collins offered a qualified apology. “I take responsibility for my part and I’m sorry it happened,” he said Friday.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Ramzy Ladah read Collins an answer he gave previously, saying Echevarria stopped to make a left turn, attempted to drive in front of the car ahead of Collins, paused and made a left turn in front of Collins. “I believe Mr. Echevarria is to blame because he had made a left turn in front of me,” Ladah read from the statement.
Collins conceded he had blamed Echevarria for cutting in front of him.
“Did you say you were taking responsibility for this crash in that response?” Ladah asked Collins.
Collins replied: “No.”
Ladah also read from a deposition answer in which Collins agreed someone turning left has a “reasonable expectation” cross traffic is obeying the speed limit. Collins told Ladah he still stood by his prior testimony.
Collins was initially accused of being under the influence of marijuana when the crash occurred.
Criminal defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld argued Nevada’s marijuana DUI law was “arbitrary and unscientific.”
A grand jury declined to indict Collins on a DUI charge.
Prosecutors had said his system had 3.0 nanograms per milliliter of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its high, when the legal limit was 2.0 nanograms per milliliter. But a Metropolitan Police Department forensic scientist told grand jurors there was not enough research to know when Collins consumed marijuana.
Echevarria’s wife, Ann Marie Echevarria, testified Thursday that she was crushed Collins only served 56 days in jail.
“This is a tragic case,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a Friday phone interview. It’s difficult to prove that someone has been influenced by marijuana, he added.
His office met with Echevarria’s wife multiple times and he felt sorry for her, he said. He understood that it was difficult for her to accept the situation, but pointed out that Collins’ criminal case ended with a felony conviction.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.