BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man who drank alcohol and used cocaine before driving has been sentenced to six years in prison in connection with a deadly south Bakersfield crash.
Christian Valencia-Madrigal, 25, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the May 13 crash that killed 39-year-old David Cortez.
Valencia-Madrigal told police he drank three micheladas and felt groggy so he used cocaine to give him a boost before getting behind the wheel, according to court documents. He said he had been drinking with friends at El Chilito on Brundage Lane to celebrate his birthday.
Around 12:30 a.m., according to reports, a BMW driven by Valencia-Madrigal reached speeds a witness estimated between 90 to 100 mph before it ran a red light and hit a Toyota Camry at the intersection of White and Hughes lanes.
Cortez, the Camry’s driver, was pronounced dead at the scene. Valencia-Madrigal suffered a broken leg and cuts to his forehead, the reports say.
