Driver Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for DUI

Victim paralyzed from the neck down

A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison with the eligibility for parole after 8 years. Carmen Delantrindad-Carbajal, age 51, had previously pled guilty to DUI Causing Substantial Bodily Harm. This sentence is the maximum allowed by law for the charged offense.

On February 5^th of last year, troopers with the Nevada Highway Patrol responded to a rollover crash on US395 near Panther Valley. On scene, troopers were told that the driver of one car had been taken to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe spinal cord injuries.

NHP spoke with the driver of the other car, Delantrindad-Carbajal, and learned that the female victim’s car had broken down and she had parked on the shoulder, awaiting a tow truck. The defendant was driving his truck and towing a trailer when he left the road and went onto the shoulder, hitting the woman’s car, causing it to roll.

Delantrindad-Carbajal had a blood alcohol content of 0.182, which is more than double the legal limit of 0.08.

Deputy District Attorney Matthew Merrill and Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Bolenbaker prosecuted the case and highlighted that due to the crash, the victim is paralyzed from the neck down. The Honorable Judge Connie Steinheimer presided and imposed the sentence.