The man responsible for a collision that resulted in the 2019 death of a 20-year-old Wellington resident was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison on Thursday.
Eduardo Rodriquez-Viurquiz, 36, admitted to DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or personal injury, according to the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office.
The collision occurred Jan. 27, 2018, at around 4:45 a.m. on Interstate 580 near the Peckham Lane overpass.
According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, Korbin Preston, 20, and Megan Dube, 19, were parked on the shoulder in a Jeep Cherokee.
A Nissan Titan driven by Rodriquez-Viurquiz rammed the Cherokee from behind at highway speeds, killing Preston instantly and ejecting Dube into the travel lane where she was struck by another vehicle.
While she received life threatening injuries, she survived after being hospitalized for 44 days.
Rodriquez-Viurquiz fled the scene on foot and was later located by Reno Police officers. A blood test revealed that he had a blood alcohol content of .310, nearly four times the legal limit of .08.
His blood test also revealed methamphetamine and THC.
Prosecutor Shannon Bryant said the sentence was fair only in the legal sense, “None of the tragedy suffered in this case could ever be described as fair in any other sense.”
He credited Dube’s survival to the quick action by rescuers and other motorists who stopped to render aid.
Dube’s mother said her daughter and Preston’s parents gave victim impact statements.
She said that her daughter is still recovering nearly two years after the collision, but still suffers seizures.
Rodriquez-Viurquiz is in the country illegally and will be deported after he finishes his sentence.
Preston was a Douglas High School graduate.
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