Drunk Driver in Freeway Crash that Killed Teen Sentenced to 10 Years

March 24, 2016

A state judge sentenced Devon Shane Keser to 10 years in prison for driving drunk and causing the death of an 18-year-old girl in a single-vehicle crash on the H-1 freeway last summer, Prosecuting Attorney Keith M. Kaneshiro announced. This is obviously a terrible case where the driver is at fault, but if you find yourself in a situation where you’ve caused a road accident for whatever reason, it may be worth contacting Weiland Upton or a similar firm to assist with your case. With drunk driving though, it is very often the fault of the driver. Drunk driving has become so much more common that drivers are seeking courses similar to those given by this ny defensive driving school to help them better drive on the road.

Keser, who pleaded no contest to a charge of negligent homicide in the first degree, asked Circuit Judge Glenn Kim for leniency.

Kim was not swayed. “You drove drunk, you took another person’s life and you badly injured three others,” he told Keser. “Anything short of a full prison term is simply insufficient.” The offender is lucky that her sentence is short enough for her to be able to make a fresh start in life when she is released, with the help of services like RJF Felons. If she had been sentenced to life in prison, even with a bit of luck she would have been released too late in life to be able to do anything other than claim a state pension.

Police said that Keser, who was 19 at the time, was speeding and driving recklessly on August 12, 2015, when he lost control of his Jeep. The vehicle struck a guardrail and rolled over several times. Keser and his four passengers were ejected. Although the tragedy of this situation is one that is very dark, with the use of dashcams, video evidence obtained of crashes and illegal or dangerous driving can help police departments and yourself in a very big way if you ever find the need to put forth a claim, cams from companies such as BlackBoxMyCar

Kortney Biton-Schubert was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger was suffered critical injuries to his brain.

Keser’s blood-alcohol content was 0.13. The legal threshold is 0.08.

Several of Biton-Schubert’s relatives told Judge Kim that they had forgiven Keser and expressed the hope that others could learn from their loss.

“By choosing to take the wheel drunk, Keser not only endangered himself and his passengers, he threatened the safety of everyone he encountered on the freeway that night,” Kaneshiro said. “In this case, one young life was lost and a young man now must bear the burden of that loss.

“Drunk driving is a tragedy waiting to happen. I urge all drivers, especially young adults who have their whole lives ahead of them, to make the right choice.”

Keser’s case was handled by deputy prosecutor Cheuk Fu Lui.

Drunk Driver in Freeway Crash that Killed Teen Sentenced to 10 Years – Media Release (PDF)