Woodbridge Coach Dies After Car Crash

Tom Willingham, an assistant football coach at Woodbridge High School and a self-employed commercial real estate agent, died July 6 of injuries suffered in a car accident June 26.

Willingham, 52, of Irvine, had been in a coma since suffering massive head injuries in a crash on Highway 101 in King City, said his wife, Cynthia. He had been on life support at a Fresno hospital.

Willingham was driving to San Jose to play in a golf tournament with a business associate when a car heading the wrong way sideswiped Willingham’s Ford Explorer, causing it to spin and flip several times, said Officer Jim Staton of the California Highway Patrol.

Maximino Escorcia of King City, the driver of the other vehicle, was unhurt.

He tried to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended by a CHP officer, Staton said. Escorcia, 23, faces charges of manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Willingham had coached special teams at Woodbridge since 1994.

“He loved the game a lot,” Woodbridge Athletic Director Alan Dugard said. “It’s going to be a personal loss on the part of the kids who are coming back this year who worked with him. It’s a void we can’t fill.”

Besides his wife, Willingham is survived by his father, James; daughters, Amber and Deidre; and son, Mark.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Mariners Church, 5001 Newport Coast Drive, Irvine.