Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

By Anthony W. Haddad

Published 2 months ago on

April 24, 2025

Maxwell Barrios, 28, of Tulare, was sentenced to over four years in state prison on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, for a 2023 DUI crash that seriously injured two women, including one who required a partial arm amputation. (Tulare County DA)

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A Tulare man was sentenced Wednesday to four years and four months in state prison for a high-speed DUI crash that seriously injured two women in 2023, prosecutors said.

Maxwell Barrios, 28, pled guilty to multiple felony charges stemming from the April 2, 2023, crash, which occurred just after 2 a.m. on southbound Hillman Street, according to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

California Highway Patrol officers said Barrios was driving a red Honda HR-V when he rear-ended a Dodge truck at a high rate of speed, causing the truck to overturn. When officers arrived, they found Barrios slurring his speech and saying, “Just take me in,” and “pled the fifth.”

At the hospital, while receiving medical clearance, Barrios apologized to the victims and admitted people had warned him not to drive drunk, officials said.

Toxicology reports showed his blood-alcohol content was 0.23% and that he had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his system.

Officials said the two women in the truck were hospitalized with major injuries. One woman required a partial arm amputation and has undergone 10 surgeries, with more expected. The other victim suffered serious hand injuries requiring extensive surgery, as well as chest, back, and abrasion injuries.

Barrios pled guilty on the morning his trial was set to begin in February to felony DUI causing injury, felony DUI with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08%, and felony DUI involving alcohol and drugs.

The charges included enhancements for causing great bodily injury and for having multiple victims, prosecutors said.

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Anthony W. Haddad,

Multimedia Journalist

Anthony W. Haddad, who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with his undergraduate degree and attended Fresno State for a MBA, is the Swiss Army knife of GV Wire. He writes stories, manages social media, and represents the organization on the ground.