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JanSport president Michael Corvino, 46, died in a car accident on Saturday, July 14, as he left his home on Creekview Place in Danville, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Corvino drove his 1970 Dodge Charger from Creekview Place and turned left onto Camino Tassaraja around 5:25 p.m., CHP reported. Alexandra Corvino, 16, Michael’s daughter, was sitting in the rear right seat; and John Shaner, 16, was in the passenger side at the time of the accident.
When Michael Corvino turned left, his car accelerated and fishtailed off the north side of the road, with the driver side door slamming into a tree, according to witnesses. The car then spun out onto a sidewalk adjacent to the tree. CHP is still investigating.
Corvino was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter and Shaner were taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. They suffered minor cuts and abrasions, police said.
Police impounded the car to see if there were any defects, said CHP Officer Steve Creel.
“The investigation is going to focus on the physical evidence at the scene to determine the primary collision factor in the accident,” Creel said.
He noted Tuesday that the two teenagers were wearing seatbelts, and police are still investigating if Corvino was wearing his. Creel said his seatbelt was off after the accident but the Emergency Medical Technicians may have taken it off when they removed him from the car.
Corvino moved to Danville with his family in 2004 after being promoted to president of JanSport, the San Leandro backpack subsidiary of Vanity Fair Corp., a clothing line company. As JanSport president, he was involved in working with Apple Inc. to create technology that would connect iPods and cell phones on the straps of JanSport backpacks.
Corvino was born in Philadelphia and played high school football in Pennsylvania. He played linebacker for the University of Maryland at College Park from 1979-1982 and was named All-ACC. In 1983, he joined the USFL, playing for the Washington Federals until 1985.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce; and daughters Alexandra and Elizabeth. His funeral will be held in Pennsylvania. Wilson and Kratzer Chapel of San Ramon Valley in Danville is handling the arrangements.
I work for VF and had the pleasure of knowing Mike Corvino for a short period here in Nashville, TN. My prayers and thoughts are with his family. Mike was a very joyous person to be around. We will all miss him very much. I am sure there is only one set of foot prints in the sand right now as the lord will help carry you all through this hard and trying time.
JanSport president was DRUNK when he crashed, CHP says
Friday, July 27, 2007
(07-27) 11:06 PDT DANVILLE — The president of the JanSport backpack company was drunk when he crashed his car July 14 in Danville, killing himself and injuring his 16-year-old daughter and another teenager, authorities said today.
Toxicology tests show that Michael Corvino’s blood-alcohol level was 0.21 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, when he lost control of his 1970 Dodge Charger and struck a tree on Camino Tassajara near his Danville home about 5:30 p.m., said Officer Steve Creel of the California Highway Patrol.
“A mechanical inspection looked at if there was any mechanical failure, but everything checked out on the car,” Creel said.
None of the three people in the car was wearing a seat belt, though Corvino, 46, might have been killed even if he had been buckled in, Creel said.
Corvino’s daughter and her boyfriend were both treated and released.
“It was a moot issue for the driver, but we are very lucky this wasn’t a multiple fatality collision,” Creel said. “The passengers suffered minor lacerations and contusions, but certainly the psychological effects of being involved in a fatal collision are going to be long-lasting
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2007/07/27/BAGRJR8C147.DTL