A fatal drunk-driving collision that claimed three lives, including one child, has resulted in a court-ordered preventive detention for the accused driver in the Dominican Republic’s National District. Following a formal request from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Fourth Chamber of the National District’s Special Traffic Court has ruled that 33-year-old Manuel Joaquín Payán Morales will serve the two-month detention term at the Najayo Men’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR-17).
The tragic incident unfolded on August 5, 2026, in the Los Ríos sector, at the intersection of Coronel Juan María Lora Fernández Avenue and República de Colombia Avenue, near a local gas station. Prosecutor Alcedo Magarín’s official case file confirms that Payán Morales was operating a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado truck while under the influence of alcohol when he struck the three pedestrians.
The crash left three people dead: Dieufort Gesner, a Haitian national, an adult woman, and an underage minor. To substantiate the charges against the defendant, the Public Prosecutor’s Office submitted a comprehensive suite of documentary evidence to the court during the detention hearing. This evidence includes an official accident report from the General Directorate of Traffic Safety and Land Transportation (Digesett), a breathalyzer test result, a flagrant offense arrest report, death certificates issued by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), and formal identification for both the driver and the involved vehicle.
Notably, the breathalyzer test recorded a blood alcohol equivalent of 0.91 milligrams of alcohol per liter of exhaled air — a level far above the legal limit established by the country’s Law 63-17, the national legislation governing mobility, land transport, transit, and road safety.
After reviewing the submitted evidence, Judge Elianny Mena Ureña, who presides over the Fourth Chamber, determined there was reasonable cause to confirm Payán Morales’ connection to the crash. The judge ruled that preventive detention was the most appropriate coercive measure to guarantee the investigation can proceed unimpeded and that all circumstances of the fatal incident will be fully clarified.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has provisionally classified the offense as a violation of Articles 256, 303(5), and 304(2) of Law 63-17. A mandatory judicial review of the preventive detention measure has been scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on October 12, 2026.