Costa Mesa intoxicated driver sentenced to 4 years in fatal crash

A Costa Mesa man was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, authorities said.

Jesus Guadalupe Silva-Manriquez, 20, pleaded guilty to causing a crash that killed a Tennessee man and injured his son on Feb. 4, 2015.

Silva-Manriquez also pleaded guilty to running a red light and speeding, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Silva-Manriquez was found to be under the influence of marijuana when he was driving, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker.

“I’m happy that the defendant took responsibility for his actions, because he gravely affected this family,” Walker said. “He was on a destructive path with his driving.”

Alberto Lopez, 32, of Clarksville, Tenn., was driving his 2010 Toyota Yaris down Fairview Road in Costa Mesa with his 14-year-old son in the front seat when a 2009 Nissan Titan truck driven by Silva-Manriquez hit him.

Lopez was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he was declared dead from chest trauma and other injuries, according to police. Lopez’s son suffered serious injuries, including a bruised lung.

Silva-Manriquez and a female passenger, also from Costa Mesa, were taken to local hospitals for treatment of neck and shoulder pain, according to police.