Posted on 12/16/2005 11:10:40 AM PST by Irontank
The Mexican immigrant involved in a wreck that killed a Mint Hill teenager acknowledged Saturday he is in the country illegally and had drunk six beers before the crash.
Jorge Hernandez, 35, expressed surprise when told by an Observer reporter that a young man had died in the Interstate 485 wreck.
"I didn't know that happened," said Hernandez, reached by phone in his hospital room. "I didn't know. I feel very sad."
Hernandez had been driving a Ford Expedition against traffic for several miles at speeds topping 100 mph when he smashed into a Nissan 350z driven by Min Chang, police said.
Both vehicles burst into flames. Chang, an 18-year-old freshman at UNC Charlotte, described by his former fifth-grade teacher as a "teddy bear" who could cheer up anyone, died at the scene.
Hernandez was thrown from his vehicle, hitting his head and breaking an ankle.
Speaking in Spanish, Hernandez said he resides in Pamplico, S.C., about 175 miles southeast of Charlotte. He planned to be in Charlotte just for the day, to pick up the sport utility vehicle for a friend.
He said he had about six beers at a store before getting on the road that night to drive home. He does not have a driver's license, he said.
A native of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, Hernandez said he moved to South Carolina alone three years ago to work in agriculture picking cucumbers, sweet potatoes and tobacco. He said he has no other family in the country.
Doctors checked Hernandez's head bruises and performed surgery on his left ankle Friday, he said. His head injuries were not serious, he said, but his leg still hurts and he expects to remain in the hospital a couple of more days.
When Hernandez is released, police said, he'll be taken directly to Mecklenburg Jail Central and booked on charges including driving while impaired and involuntary manslaughter.
Trooper Brian Huffstickler of the N.C. Highway Patrol said Hernandez also could face second-degree murder charges if police find out he has prior DWI convictions. "He has blown all safe driving rules out the window," Huffstickler said.
A preliminary check by the Observer using Hernandez's name and the date of birth he gave police turned up no previous criminal charges in North or South Carolina.
Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, said Saturday she is "extremely disappointed" at the news of the wreck. She said it underscores the need for education efforts within the Latino community on the dangers of driving drunk.She and others worry the tragedy will fuel anti-Latino sentiment. This summer, Latino immigrant advocacy groups reported receiving harassing e-mails and phone messages after a Mount Holly teacher, Scott Gardner, was killed in an accident involving an illegal immigrant who has been charged with driving while impaired.
"The concern is the people will be unfairly blamed as a group of drunk drivers and that's not the case at all," said Joe Carleo, producer of WTVI's Spanish-language public affairs program, "Charlotte Hoy." "Most of the Latinos that I have been associated with in 12 to 13 years here in Charlotte are law abiding and just as sad and horrified hearing about this tragedy."
The Gardner wreck spurred Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., of Charlotte, to introduce legislation that would make driving while impaired an automatic deportable offense. She said Friday that this latest tragedy is another example of why her legislation should be passed. Grief and memories
The Chang family, who emigrated from South Korea, is simply trying to deal with the loss right now, said Chang's brother, Amos, 15.
As news of the tragedy spread, loved ones spent the day reminiscing about their quietly magnetic friend who seemed to always be smiling.
More than 40 friends and teachers as well as others posted heartfelt messages about Chang in a charlotte.com guest book.
"He was just this little teddy bear who everyone loved," said his former fifth-grade teacher, Betty Love. His friend and classmate Kellie Hoard, 19, remembers how girls flirted with him by pinching his cheeks. "He always made me feel comfortable," she said.
Several people wrote in the online guestbook they were convinced Chang is now an angel.
One friend imagined the light-hearted Chang looking down upon his friends saying: "Dude, I got wings!"
Yes...if we expect to enjoy the fruits of "diversity" and multiculturalism that come with being inundated with illegals, we Americans must accept the blame here for not having in place "education efforts within the Latino community on the dangers of drunk driving"
People who abuse alcohol and drive drunk don't stop at the Rio Grande either. They're just here to drive drunk and kill the teenagers we Americans don't want to. But it is all worth it because I'm sure that this guy provided the necessary service of picking lettuce at slave wages so that someone could pocket the additional profit due to labor cost savings.
Another big thanks to WASHINGTON, DC for a fine job of protecting our nation against ILLEGAL INVASION.
They are only providing the alcohol related vehicular homicide statistics that Americans are too lazy to provide.
For Pete's Sake, Why not make illegally entering the country be an automatic deportable offense! This is insanity!
any idea as to who is picking up the hospital tab?
This is so common. Build the f-ng wall starting tomorrow and throw this felon in jail for 15 years..
Illegal Immigrant Apologist List ping!!!
Come tell the rest of us how this is no big deal.
How about education on the dangers of being here illegally?
BTTT
i'm sure she get's paid well for making asinine statements like this. Almost sounds like george allen...
Build it and they WON'T come!
Deport his a$$.
INS, where are you?
I'd prefer a 30,000 volt electric fence stretching from San Diego to Brownsville.
Allen is an outstanding senator on our side. This is absurd to attack him.
You need to focus on the real enemies, Boxer, Salazar, Kennedy, Clinton, etc.
Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition is claiming victim statusfor this puke?
Since the crime rate has fallen drastically accross the nation we have a shortage of criminals in this country to provide work for emergency workers, firemen, policemen, crime scene photographers, coroners and the like we need people like this... -sarc
Illegal immigration is just terrorism in slow motion, one tragic and senseless death at a time.
Clarify?
George Allen, as far as I know, is anti-illegal immigration. Do you have different info?
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