A Tampa man, Mario Gonzalez, received a 20-year prison sentence on Friday for causing a fatal crash in 2021. The accident resulted in the tragic deaths of a young woman and her unborn child.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty to two counts of DUI manslaughter and will also face five years of probation.
The incident occurred on June 18, 2021, in Brandon on Interstate 75. Gonzalez was traveling north on the I-75 frontage road near the State Road 60 exit ramp.
He veered off the road in an attempt to avoid a collision when he saw traffic backed up ahead, as reported by the Florida Highway Patrol.
This abrupt move caused Gonzalez’s truck to spin and collide with the side of a tractor-trailer. The truck then flipped onto the shoulder, ejecting Gonzalez’s 27-year-old female passenger, who, authorities noted, was not wearing a seatbelt.
She was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to her injuries. It was later confirmed by law enforcement that she was pregnant at the time of the crash. Although the baby was delivered via cesarean section, the infant did not survive.
The state attorney’s office reported that Gonzalez exhibited signs of impairment during a field sobriety test and was observed dozing off shortly after the accident.
Subsequent tests revealed the presence of methamphetamine, amphetamine, and fentanyl in his system.
“This defendant made several reckless decisions that lead to the death of a young mother and her unborn baby. He will now have decades in prison to think about his selfish actions and how they have impacted the family of our victims,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. “These deaths were entirely preventable, and this lengthy sentence should serve as a deterrent to others who would make such dangerous decisions.”
