VISTA, Calif. (CNS) - A man who drove under the influence, fled from police and caused the deaths of a woman and her 4-year-old daughter in a North County freeway crash was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in state prison.
Erick Arambula, 25, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of DUI and evading authorities for the crash that killed 29-year-old Courteney Taylor and her daughter Amaya Taylor on April 23, 2023.
Prosecutors say Arambula fled from state Fish and Wildlife officers on Old Highway 395 in Fallbrook just prior to the fatal crash, which happened around 3:15 p.m.
Shortly after police terminated the high-speed pursuit, Arambula's pickup veered off Old Highway 395 and onto the southbound lanes of Interstate 15, where it crashed head-on into Taylor's car, prosecutors said. Both victims died at the scene.
A GoFundMe page created last year by Taylor's family read, "Everyone who has ever met Courteney has known her as a living angel. Amaya was our family's guiding light."
In a statement released after the sentencing hearing, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office noted that 32 people were killed last year in San Diego County in 29 separate DUI-related crashes. So far this year, 20 people have died in 16 DUI crashes countywide.
"This defendant, who could have prevented the tragic outcome of this case, willingly drove under the influence of drugs and took the lives of an innocent mother and daughter," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said. "These types of deaths are the most preventable, yet people think they can get away with this dangerous behavior. The tragic lesson here is simple: Do not drink or consume drugs and get behind the wheel."
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