If a person who is driving under the influence injures anyone other than themselves in an accident, they can be charged with driving under the influence causing injury. This is a “wobbler” charge in California, meaning that it can be prosecuted either as a felony or a misdemeanor. If it is the third time someone has been charged with DUI causing injury, it is automatically a felony. Depending on how serious the injuries are, the prosecutor could charge it as a felony. A third DUI that causes injuries may be charged as a felony, depending on the details of the previous case and the seriousness of the injuries in the current case.
KTLA reports on a man charged with murder and DUI causing injury after a deadly hit-and-run crash in Riverside. 34-year-old Ruben Aguirre was speeding in his black Chevrolet Silverado when he ran a red light at Iowa and Palmyra Avenues at about 8 p.m. on June 1st. He crashed into tan Honda Odyssey that was passing through the intersection. After the crash, he allegedly moved away from the scene and tried to hide in the vegetation at the side of the road.
The driver of the van, 48-year-old Esteban Carlo Gonzalez, succumbed to his injuries the day after the crash. Several other passengers also required hospitalization. Police were able to locate Aguirre following the crash, and witnesses confirmed that he had been driving the pickup truck. Aguirre has been arrested on suspicion of murder, felony hit-and-run, and driving under the influence causing bodily injury. He is being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 18th.
