Man pleads guilty in 2019 DUI crash that seriously injured woman

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a DUI crash that seriously injured a 20-year-old driver in October 2019.

Rovilson Rivera Hernandez pleaded guilty in a Charleston County courtroom on Tuesday and was given the maximum penalty on a charge of felony DUI causing great bodily injury.

According to Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s office, the victim was hit head-on after Hernandez’s vehicle crossed over a concrete median on Highway 78 and entered her lane. She became trapped inside after the impact and needed to be extricated.

The victim had multiple open fractures and underwent several surgeries over a 10-day hospital stay. She was later discharged with home health services to help her re-learn how to walk.

Solicitor Wilson’s office said the North Charleston Police Department’s traffic unit investigated the crash and collected a blood alcohol sample that was submitted to SLED’s laboratory for analysis. His blood registered a .23 blood alcohol content an hour and a half after the crash.

Hernandez, though, had a driving record dating back to 2008 and includes a prior ‘driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration,’ four convictions for ‘driving without a license,’ two convictions for speeding, and two for driving under suspension.

The previous cases were handled at the municipal and magistrate level.

“Judge Young recognized that the perilous driving history of the Defendant, saw that this was foreseeable based on that record, and sentenced him accordingly,” said Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.

Hernandez, who is from Honduras, had been removed from the country and returned only two years before the crash.

“During the pendency of this case, the Defendant also posted a bond amount and was removed a second time by ICE. The Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s office applied for a bench warrant which was granted and allowed the Defendant to be immediately apprehended when he returned to the United States for a third time,” Wilson’s office said.

During a plea hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Solicitor Jordan Norvell asked the court to impose the maximum fifteen year sentence because Hernandez has “a prolifically terrible driving history which culminated in this event.

“This accident was foreseeable and preventable,” she said.