A man who pleaded guilty last month to causing a fatal crash in Wheat Ridge was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Cesar Hernandez-Sanchez, 33, was driving faster than 70 mph at around 7 p.m. on Oct. 17 when he crossed over the median on Highway 58 and drove into oncoming traffic, according to a news release from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

His vehicle struck one driven by Michael Smith head-on, causing a chain reaction involving two more vehicles.

Smith was killed in the crash, while two others were severely injured.

A few hours after the crash, Hernandez-Sanchez’s blood alcohol level was measured at .243, more than three times the legal limit. He told responding officers he had drunk “two beers” prior to the crash, but later admitted a history of alcoholism.

At the time of the crash, he also had an active warrant in Texas stemming from a 2022 DUI crash in which he failed to appear.

In March, Hernandez-Sanchez pleaded guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide and a charge of vehicular assault. He faced a maximum of 18 years in prison and was sentenced Friday, according to the release.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Mathews said in the release that the damage and debris on the road was unlike anything he had ever seen.

“Alcoholism is a disease but when Mr. Hernandez-Sanchez got behind the wheel that day, he made his disease a risk to our community,” Mathews said.