Personal Injury: Drunk Driver Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

A justice with the Superior Court of Newport, Rhode Island sentenced a man from Tiverton to 10 years in prison for a hit-and-run accident that killed an elderly woman as she was on her way home from grocery shopping. Joel Carreiro, after drinking shots and beer for five hours, got in his car and hit Jean Correia as she walked across a crosswalk by Clements’ Marketplace. The elderly woman’s granddaughters described her as a sweet person and that her death caused them great shock and depression. After being charged with drunk driving resulting in death, Joel pleaded no contest and was given a lesser sentence of driving to endanger, resulting in death. The judge at sentencing told Joel, “You knew you had the disease of alcoholism. Because you failed to treat your disease, you took another life. Your disease didn’t rob you of your life, it robbed another (of her) life.”

Drunken Driver Gets Prison Sentence for 2005 Fatal Accident

Jean’s family described their sadness and hopelessness that this incident has brought to their lives. Her daughter described her feelings when she said, “I feel compassion for Mr. Carreiro’s family, but they need to stop making excuses for him. I know that alcoholism is a sickness but it’s no excuse for what he has done.” Between 2:30 and 7:30 Joel drank 17 drinks, including shots of brandy and Sambucca at four different bars. Police investigators discovered after Joel hit Jean he slowed but did not stop to try to give assistance. Police arrested him at his home later that evening.