A Rutherford NJ man was recently sentenced to a lengthy prison term for driving while intoxicated and causing a fatal DWI accident on Railroad Avenue in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

According to authorities, the 24-year-old suspect was drunk when he got behind the wheel of a Lexus GS430 and crashed into the victim on August 22, 2013. The 28-year-old victim was a pedestrian on the sidewalk.

The suspect’s vehicle allegedly knocked over a tree, a street light, and a wood utility pole before hitting the victim. Prosecutors later said that the suspect was traveling at a rate of 57 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone.

After the accident, the victim was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center with head trauma. She was pronounced dead two days later. The victim was reportedly a young mother with four children at the time of her death.

When police tested the suspect’s blood, they allegedly found that he had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .198 percent, more than double the legal limit of .08 percent in NJ.

In April 2015, the suspect pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter. When entering his guilty plea, the suspect reportedly said that he consumed several mixed drinks prior to causing the accident.

Now the suspect has been sentenced to a term of incarceration of 5 years in New Jersey State Prison.

When he appeared in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack NJ for sentencing, the suspect reportedly apologized to the victim’s family. The Bergen County Superior Court judge told the suspect that his apology came too late.

The harsh sentence handed down by the judge also requires the suspect to serve a minimum of four years and two months in prison before he becomes eligible for parole.

To learn more about this case, access the CliffviewPilot.com article entitled “Rutherford DWI Driver Gets 5 Years in Death of Carlstadt Mother of Four.”