A Norristown man is heading to state prison for his role in a May 2021 fatal vehicle crash on Route 202 that claimed the life of his coworker, 37-year-old Jose Martinez-Diaz.
Gabino Lucas Lagunes, 31, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of homicide by vehicle while DUI, as well as misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and DUI, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Following the guilty pleas, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Branca sentenced Lucas Lagunes to three-to-six years in state prison.
Additional charges of homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or injury while not licensed, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, careless driving, driving without a license, and driving while license is suspended, were dismissed as part of the agreement, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint, police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the 500 block of Dekalb Pike in Lower Gwynedd Township at 3:28 a.m. on May 6, 2021, for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries. Upon arrival, police discovered that a 2006 Subaru Legacy — driven by Lucas Lagunes — had crashed into the rear of a 2014 Mack Fuel Truck in a posted construction zone, the report states.
Investigators said that Lucas Lagunes was trapped with injuries within the driver’s seat area of the vehicle. The front-seat passenger — later identified as Martinez-Diaz — was pronounced dead while still in the vehicle, and a third passenger in the rear seat also sustained injuries, according to the complaint.
Once freed from the driver’s compartment, Lucas Lagunes was airlifted to Temple University Hospital for treatment of injuries. The rear-seat passenger was transported from the scene via ambulance to Abington Hospital for treatment, police said.
All three men were traveling home from work at Gran Rodeo Mexican Bar and Grill in Montgomery Township, police said. The driver of the truck was uninjured.
Later that day, police spoke with the owner of Gran Rodeo Mexican Bar and Grill, who confirmed that all three men were working just prior to the crash, the report states. The owner told police that Lucas Lagunes was a bartender and server, and he had worked until approximately 2 a.m. and left with the other two employees between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., police said.
Two days after the crash, an autopsy was performed on the body of Martinez-Diaz, which determined that he died of multiple blunt-impact injuries as a result of the crash.
The Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Crash Reconstruction Team determined that the fuel truck was stopped and parked in the construction zone within the southbound lane of Dekalb Pike, with both its four-way flashers and a revolving yellow warning light in operation, the report states. The Subaru was traveling southbound bearing down on the vehicle when Lucas Lagunes turned left at the last minute, causing the passenger-front and passenger-side of the Subaru to strike the rear driver’s side of the fuel truck, according to the complaint.
Investigators said the Subaru crashed into the truck with such force that writing on the truck’s mudflap became imprinted on the Subaru, and a fan support backet in the truck’s engine compartment — located 32-feet from the point of impact — was broken by the impact.
The complaint notes that medical personnel on scene informed police that there was a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Lucas Lagunes as they attempted to render aid. Additionally, a post-crash inspection of the Subaru uncovered multiple empty beer bottles inside of the vehicle, police said.
On May 11, 2021, police served a search warrant at Temple University Hospital for the medical records of Lucas Lagunes. The results of the blood-alcohol test that was completed when he was admitted showed that his blood-alcohol concentration was between .217% and .243% at the time of the crash, the report states.
Investigators added that Lucas Lagunes did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash, as records showed it was suspended until October 2020 for eight violations including multiple instances of driving without a license, according to the complaint.
See also:
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Chalfont Woman Gets House Arrest, Probation for DUI Crash on Bethlehem Pike with Child in Vehicle
