The man accused of causing a fatal car accident in Springs in June pleaded guilty Wednesday morning and will be sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
Luis Barrionuevo-Fuertes of Moriches pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead to 18 charges stemming from the June 15 accident and the death of one of his passengers, Scarleth Samaniego-Urgiles, 19, of East Hampton. Mr. Barrionuevo-Fuertes had been driving seven teenagers in his 2006 Toyota Camry — six of whom were in the backseat — home from the beach that night when he lost control of the car on Old Stone Highway in Springs. He hit a tree and the vehicle rolled onto its side, killing Ms. Samaniego-Urgiles and injuring the other occupants.
Police said Mr. Barrionuevo-Fuertes had been drinking before the accident and that recording software in his car documented speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour in the moments before the crash. The speed limit on Old Stone Highway is 30 miles per hour.
Mr. Barrionuevo-Fuertes was later indicted by the county. Wednesday, in a guilty plea allocution in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski, he admitted to all the charges. His lawyer, Melissa Sue Aguanno, did not immediately return calls for comment.
The most serious of the charges include aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter in the second degree, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, vehicular assault in the first degree, two counts of vehicular assault in the second degree, and aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the car. The last count was related to the age of one of the passengers at the time of the accident — 15. Eight additional misdemeanors and one speeding infraction were also part of the laundry list of charges.
Mr. Barrionuevo-Fuertes will be back in court on March 18, when he will be sentenced.
