NORFOLK, Va. – A man was sentenced for a fatal crash that occurred on the interstate due to driving drunk.
20-year-old Juan Franklin Ramirez-Urrea was sentenced to seven active years in prison for driving drunk and fatally striking 23-year-old Dontae Barlow, who was changing a tire on the shoulder of Interstate 64.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 27, officials say Ramirez-Urrea was traveling westbound on I-64 when he veered onto the right shoulder and struck Barlow. ]
Barlow had pulled over near the Norview Avenue exit and was rolling a tire down the shoulder in the opposite direction of traffic.
Police say Ramirez-Urrea's blood-alcohol concentration was .20, which is over twice the legal limit, causing him to drift onto the shoulder and ran over Barlow, overcorrected left, and crashed into the left jersey wall.
Witnesses who had been driving behind Ramirez-Urrea say they pulled over to assist both him and Barlow, but Barlow was pronounced dead upon the arrival of paramedics.
Ramirez-Urrea told officers he had been drinking in Virginia Beach before driving.
On Oct. 17, he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter from driving under the influence, as well as DUI.
A judge sentenced Ramirez-Urrea to serve seven active years in prison. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with three years suspended, for manslaughter, and one year suspended for DUI. His suspended sentences are conditioned upon two years of supervised probation and five years of uniform good behavior upon his release from prison.
His license has also been suspended indefinitely, according to officials.
"Drunk drivers kill people and put themselves in prison," said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. "Drunk driving is a crime, and it is totally preventable. Do not drink and drive. Protect the people around you. Drink responsibly. Use designated drivers, taxis, and ride shares. Do not kill someone over a night out. You cannot undo these crimes, and the people who pay the heaviest price are the people you kill."
