Drunk Vegas Man Crashes; Kills a Driver, Injures a Passenger

A drunk driver who killed another in a car crash on Las Vegas Boulevard is facing a number of charges and will appear before court in May, local reports say.

On March 22, according to the local police, Charlie Hernandez, 28, was driving a Dodge Challenger as fast as 140 miles per hour on the boulevard. Under the influence of alcohol, Hernandez struck another car, a Hyundai Accent breaking it in two. The accident, unfortunately, resulted in the injury and death of the other driver.

Luciano Chavez Y Chavez, 38, who drove the struck Accent, was rushed to a hospital but had sustained critical injuries and soon passed away.

In addition, a passenger in Hernandez’s car by the name of Kevin Portillo-Torres, 29, was badly injured. Thankfully, he was taken out of the broken car by firefighters and rushed to University Medical Center. Despite that, his injuries were very serious and included, among other things, a broken femur. Portillo-Torres’ current condition is unknown.

According to reports, Hernandez avoided serious injury. He was also taken to University Medical Center but was released after a check.

The Car Belonged to the Injured Passenger

As Hernandez later told the police, the Challenger he drove belonged to Portillo-Torres. The two of them had visited a friend’s residence where they got drunk. Since Portillo-Torres didn’t feel confident in his ability to drive, he asked Hernandez to drive him home, according to the latter man’s testimony.

However, Hernandez, who was also drunk, drove three times faster than the speed limit, causing the accident. According to the car’s computer, the vehicle was moving at 127 miles per hour at the exact moment of the accident, KLAS reported.

Hernandez has been charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and reckless driving and is set to appear in court in May. The man already appeared in court over the weekend and had his bail set at $50,000 by Judge Daniel Westmeyer.

According to reports, Hernandez was able to cover the bail. However, he has been prohibited from driving a motorized vehicle and must now wear a bracelet that monitors his alcohol use.

The accident prompted a social media post from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which asked Clark County residents to do better.

The post reads: “We MUST do better, Clark County! Families are suffering due to reckless choices! It’s time to put an END to this tragedy!”