Man Sentenced to Over 6 Years for Wrong-Way DUI Crash That Killed Father of 6

Man Sentenced to Over 6 Years for Wrong-Way DUI Crash That Killed Father of 6
A file photograph of a judge's gavel. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
City News Service
5/4/2024
Updated:
5/4/2024

Fernando Goneortiz, 29, pleaded guilty to the July 26, 2023, crash that killed 57-year-old Abel Bermudez Griego, a Los Angeles resident and father of six.

The crash happened just before noon, with Mr. Goneortiz’s Audi traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of traffic, near East San Ysidro Boulevard.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the Audi crashed head-on into a minivan in the No. 2 lane. The minivan driver, Mr. Bermudez Griego, died at the scene. Mr. Goneortiz was hospitalized for injuries sustained in the crash and was later arrested.

Mr. Goneortiz was sentenced Thursday in Chula Vista Superior Court to six years for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, plus six months for a misdemeanor count of driving on the wrong side of the freeway.

A GoFundMe page created to raise funds for the victim’s family stated that the victim had been traveling to Ensenada that weekend to visit his mother. His six children ranged in age from 10 to 40 years old at the time of his death, according to the page.