Sep 5, 2016 | 2 min read

Alleged Drunk Driver in Raleigh NC Kills 3

A district court judge in Wake County NC told a suspected DUI driver in court last week that he could spend 70 years in prison if convicted for drunk driving and various felonies stemming from a weekend wreck in Raleigh that left three dead.

In addition to DUI, North Carolina State Police charged Jaciel Espino-Montes, 22, with three counts of aggravated felony death by vehicle and three counts of aggravated felony serious injury by vehicle.

The deadly crash occurred on Highwoods Blvd. in Raleigh at 2:30 AM on Aug. 21.

The judge told him that he could get 17 years in prison per count if convicted for aggravated felony death by vehicle, and seven years for each count of aggravated felony serious injury.

Police reported that he was driving an Isuzu SUV at about 50 MPH when it went off the side of the road and slammed into a light pole and tree before flipping over.

Seven people were in the SUV. Three were killed and three were injured.

Our View

We hope that the families of the deceased filed a wrongful death lawsuit immediately in this terrible drunk driving tragedy. As drunk driving attorneys licensed and practicing in North Carolina and Virginia, our goal in wrongful death cases is to find every last source of insurance recovery funds to help the client obtain compensation for their pain and suffering and assorted funeral expenses.

The above accident sounds particularly reckless, so there is the possibility of punitive damages being awarded as well. There were many people involved in the accident, so there are most likely several insurance policies that could be a source of funds.

Wrongful death lawsuits often settle for millions of dollars, and that money can be used to help the families to get through their pain and to replace the lost income of the deceased.

Richard Shapiro

Partner with Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp Personal Injury Law Firm, Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp
(833) 997-1774

Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.

Contact Richard