19-year-old woman killed in Clayton Boulevard crash; driver faces DWI, other charges

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A woman was killed in a serious crash on Clayton Boulevard, formerly known as US Highway 70 Business, on Friday morning.

It happened around 2:30 a.m. near the intersection with Town Centre Boulevard.

According to investigators, a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling westbound and ran the stoplight at the intersection. It then hit a 2019 Nissan Sentra that was pulling out of a parking lot driveway near the Waffle House.

The driver of the truck was identified as J. Guadalupe Moreno Nieves, 48, of Selma. There was also a passenger in the truck. Neither were injured.

Nieves was arrested and charged with felony death by motor vehicle; driving while impaired; driving with revoked license; stop light violation, and failure to reduce speed. He was placed under a $5 million bond.

The 19-year-old driver of the Nissan, Genesis Karolina Mairena Enamorado, was killed in the collision.

"This is a completely preventable issue," said Emily Ferraro, Executive Director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving North Carolina.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 37 people die in drunk driving crashes each day, and about 32% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunken drivers, meaning they had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 or higher. According to court documents, Nieves had a BAC of .17, more than double the legal limit.

"Take a taxi or get a ride. Have a designated driver take you there to begin with. But to explain to families over and over again that this continues to happen, it's devastating. The effects are long-lasting and really never go away for these families," said Ferraro.

There's a new push to enhance penalties on offenders.

House Bill 400, known as Bentley's Law, was filed Thursday. The legislation would require restitution in the form of child support if the victim of a felony death by vehicle offense was the parent of a minor.

"It holds drunk-driving offenders accountable. Too often, they're able to move on even after they've killed someone, while victims and survivors are reminded every day of their loss," Ferraro said. "The idea of giving a sense of justice to families and survivors, and especially in this case restitution, is something we absolutely support."

Clayton Boulevard was shut down in both directions for about five hours after the wreck. It reopened around 7:30 a.m.

Nieves had his first court appearance Friday. He is due back in court on April 3.