VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Two men were sentenced Tuesday after a serious two-vehicle crash left one person dead and three people hospitalized in April 2015.
Dennis Brito, 35, will spend seven years in prison for charges of DUI manslaughter, DUI maiming, DUI and failure to yield while making a left turn. Brito will also have to pay a fine of $700.
Charles Chavez Hazer, 34, will serve five years in prison for charges of DUI manslaughter, DUI maiming and DUI. Hazer must also pay a $500 fine.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Hazer and Brito were both driving while intoxicated.
Hazer was driving a 2004 Ford Mustang northbound on Newtown Road around 2:30 a.m. He had a passenger in his front seat.
As he came to the intersection of Newtown Road and Greenwich Road, he hit Brito’s 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, which came into his path after Brito failed to yield while making a left turn.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office says Hazer’s speed was between 61 and 70 miles per hour when he hit the Malibu. The speed limit in the area was 35 miles per hour.
Three people were taken to the hospital, and a female passenger in the Malibu was pronounced dead on scene. She was identified as 33-year-old Heidi Jo Friedman of Hampton.
Another passenger in Brito’s car suffered significant injuries including nine broken ribs, a broken pelvis, two collapsed lungs, featured femur, and a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). She was comatose for three and a half weeks and remained hospitalized for several days afterwards.
She was employed in active duty with the Navy at the time, but had to leave her job because of the injuries sustained during the accident. Hazer’s front seat passenger was not significantly injured.
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