Judgement Made in Florida Fatal Car Accident

Justice was finally served for a driver who was high on drugs when he caused a multi-car motor vehicle accident in 2012. Louis Prinzo, IV, 24, was sentenced to 16 years in state prison on November 14. According to media reports and information from the State Attorney’s Office, Prinzo plead guilty to two counts of DUI causing death, one count of DUI causing serious bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor DUI in October. Two charges were dropped during the plea agreement.

The Facts

In 2012, Prinzo was driving a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis on Interstate 95 in Ormond Beach when he caused a three-vehicle accident. Prinzo was high on prescription medication, that he obtained illegally, and marijuana.

The accident killed two people in another vehicle – 18-year-old Lane Jerome Burnsed, the driver, and his passenger, 17-year-old Meredith Smith, both of Flagler County. Smith was a cheerleader at a local high school, and Burnsed was a recent high school graduate. The two were said to have been best friends. Another driver, Doron Nirel Lyn, was seriously injured in the accident but survived. He is not able to work and suffers from chronic pain.

Prinzo told the officers at the time of the arrest that he had snorted the prescription medication, a common technique for getting high on prescription medication.

History Repeated

Prinzo didn’t really learn his lesson. Back in August, Prinzo was again arrested for another DUI charge, according to media reports. It was the two-year anniversary of the fatal crash. He was reportedly swerving and almost crashing into cars while driving down a highway.

Police investigators found an empty syringe behind his ear and he failed a field sobriety test at the scene. Prinzo was out on a $100,000 bond at the time of his second arrest. His bond was immediately revoked and he was in jail until the sentencing.

Prinzo will have to serve 19 years of probation after he is released from prison.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident that was caused by a drunk driver, contact James O. Cunningham immediately at 386-243-4994 for a free initial consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.