Published on:

“2 Drunk 2 Care” Miami Driver Pleads Guilty to DUI Manslaughter

Earlier last year, 21-year-old Floridian Kayla Mendoza was involved in a fatal head-on collision that took the lives of two young girls. The accident, which occurred on the Sawgrass Expressway, was caused when Mendoza went the wrong way down the Expressway. According to a local news report, the driver had tweeted “2 drunk 2 care” earlier that night a few minutes before the fatal crash.

Mendoza, who was just 20 years old at the time, has recently pleaded guilty to the offense of DUI manslaughter. The evidence presented showed that Mendoza had consumed two fishbowl-sized margaritas at the bar prior to getting behind the wheel.

Regarding the infamous tweet, her fiancé claimed that it was in response to him giving her a hard time about not coming home after work. However, that certainly would have been up for interpretation by the jury.

Having now pleaded guilty to the offenses, Mendoza will soon be sentenced. She faces a total of 30 years in prison. The family of the two girls were present in the courtroom and opted not to say anything in response to Mendoza’s guilty plea.

Drunk Driving in Florida

Florida has a serious problem with drinking and driving. Even accounting for its large population, Florida still has a disproportionate amount of drunk-driving arrests and accidents each year. This has led the state and county governments to enact tough-as-nails laws regarding drinking and driving.

Civil Suit Based on DUI Accidents

Separate and apart from any criminal sanctions, an accident victim or their family can file a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for the injuries caused by a drunk driver. These lawsuits are often quite straightforward because proving the defendant’s negligence is not generally challenging, as long as they were arrested for drunk driving by police after the accident.

With that said, there are nuances to the craft of litigating a drunk-driving personal injury lawsuit. For example, there may be issues with the defendant’s insurance company that must be resolved in order to recover from them. Other potential issues in a car accident case include establishing causation and showing that the plaintiff was not also at fault in the accident. For these reasons, it is advised that any accident victim of a DUI-related crash get in touch with a dedicated South Florida accident attorney.

Have You Been Injured in a South Florida Car Accident?

If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a DUI-related accident or any other kind of serious Florida car accident, you may be entitled to monetary damages based on the other driver’s negligence. The skilled advocates at Cecere Santana have decades of combined experience litigating all kinds of Florida personal injury suits and would be happy to discuss your with you. Call 800-753-5529 to get in touch with an experienced South Florida personal injury attorney. There is no risk to calling, since we won’t send you a bill unless we are able to recover compensation for you in your case.

See More Blog Posts:

Two Hospitalized in Three-Vehicle Miami-Dade Accident, Cecere Santana Injury Lawyers Blog, published february 23, 2015.

Man Injured in Workplace Injury Recovers $5 Million in Settlement Offer, Cecere Santana Injury Lawyers Blog, published January 13, 2015.

Contact Information