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Prosecutor: Man charged with crash had 0.241 BAC

Posted at 4:16 PM, Feb 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-04 11:39:10-05

Prosecutors say a man’s blood alcohol content was three times over the legal limit when he crashed into a woman’s car on Sunday.

The Douglas County Attorney’s Office has charged Eswin Mejia, 19, with motor vehicle homicide after 21-year-old Sarah Root died from injuries received in the Sunday crash.

The Omaha Police Department said Root was taken to the hospital with critical injuries after Mejia, who was driving a 2000 Chevy 2500 pickup truck, ran into the back of her 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada at the intersection of 33rd and L streets around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday.

She was later declared brain dead and died, according to Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine.

“Mejia was also taken to the hospital and appeared to be under the influence. Following a blood draw at the hospital, officers learned Mejia’s blood alcohol content was a 0.241,” Kleine said in a press release Wednesday.

If convicted, Mejia could serve up to 20 years in prison.