Disabled Navy Veteran Killed by Drunk Driver Whose Blood-Alcohol Level Three Times Legal Limit

A man has pleaded guilty in a drunk-driving crash that killed a disabled veteran earlier this year. Prosecutors want him to serve prison time.

Lawrence Grover, 63, a Navy veteran who served in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, died May 9 in Wichita, Kan., after a truck crashed into him while he was crossing the road. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Jaime Gonzalez-Arambula, 36, pleaded guilty on Thursday to felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to The Wichita Eagle, citing an affidavit which reportedly said he admitted to drinking alcohol before the crash.

The suspect’s blood-alcohol level was reportedly .263 almost two hours after the crash, or more than three times the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle.

Gonzalez-Arambula reportedly admitted to police after the crash that he saw Grover in the wheelchair before the collision but thought he was “going to stop.”

The event data recorder pulled from the suspect’s vehicle post-crash showed him speeding, going 50 mph in a 40 mph zone two seconds before he hit Grover, according to the affidavit.

Veterans’ Risks of Car Accident Injuries Are Higher

Some troops returning from deployment are more at risk of sustaining injuries or fatalities from car accidents.

Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) indicates that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are 75% more likely to die in motor vehicle crashes than civilians.

A separate study by insurer USAA revealed a 13% spike in at-fault accidents within six months of returning home, driven largely by young, enlisted soldiers.

In terms of veterans hit by vehicles, a state-level investigation by the Austin American-Statesman revealed that veterans on foot were struck and killed by cars at a rate five times higher than civilian peers in the same demographic.

Furthermore, a Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety study found that veterans made up 10.6% of all pedestrian fatalities despite constituting only 8.6% of the general population.

Sentencing Next Month Warrans Prison Time: Prosecutors

Gonzalez-Arambula is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20.

Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is classified as a Severity Level 4 felony.

This level carries a presumptive prison sentence rather than probation, and sentence ranges depend strictly on the offender’s prior criminal history. Prosecutors reportedly want prison time to be served.

The Wichita Eagle reported that due to the suspect’s criminal history, he’s likely to receive around three years on the manslaughter charge and more than a year for the DUI.

“Though his passing leaves a profound emptiness, his memory will live on in the hearts of those who loved him, in the stories shared about him, and in the example he set through his service, his sobriety, and his devotion to family,” reads an obituary for Grover.