BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Hurtling down the road at twice the speed limit, Barbarito Arviso collided with a pickup, killing his cousin.
He said he “was just in a hurry,” according to police reports.
But authorities determined speed wasn’t the only factor responsible for the crash two years ago on Brundage Lane between Eye Street and South Chester Avenue. Arviso’s blood-alcohol content tested at 0.09%, above the legal limit of 0.08%. He also tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Police determined his impairment was the primary cause of the collision.
On Wednesday, the 20-year-old Arviso decided to forego a trial and pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Three felony charges related to driving while impaired were dismissed, as well as a misdemeanor charge of driving without a license.
He faces a six-year prison term at his sentencing hearing next month.
In a separate case, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor threat charge for allegedly threatening to kill a neighbor and the neighbor’s dog.
The deadly crash occurred the evening of Oct. 27, 2021, when Arviso drove a Saturn Ion between 81 to 91 mph in a 40-mph zone on Brundage Lane, according to police reports. He veered into the opposite lane and collided with a Toyota Tacoma, which then hit a Ford F-150.
Arviso’s sole passenger, cousin Natori Arviso, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene. Passengers in the trucks suffered minor to moderate injuries, police said.
Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free Barbarito Arviso. He was taken to Kern Medical for treatment of injuries including a broken jaw.
