Norristown Man Was Drunk In Fatal Dekalb Pike Crash: DA

LOWER GWYNEDD, PA — A Norristown man was drunk when he crashed into a fuel truck in Lower Gwynedd earlier this month, killing a man who was a passenger in his car, authorities said.

Gabino Lucas Lagunes, 30, faces homicide by vehicle DUI, DUI, and related counts in the crash, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Thursday, May 6 at 3:28 a.m. on the 500 block of Dekalb Pike.

A. fuel truck was stopped in the southbound lane with its yellow warning light on. Lagunes, driving with two passengers in the vehicle, attempted to steer around it but did not avoid it, smashing the passenger side of his vehicle into the truck and then riding under it, authorities said.

His blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was between .217 and .243 percent, according to the DA's office, somewhere around triple the legal limit.

In addition to being drunk, police said the "speed and manner of operation" of the vehicle led to the crash.

One of Lagunes' passengers, 37-year-old Jose Martinez-Diaz of Philadelphia, died instantly on the scene. Lagunes was flown to Temple University Hospital for treatment, while a backseat passenger was transported to Abington Hospital by ambulance.

Bail for Lagunes was set at $75,000 and he was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is set for May 27.