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.

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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.”

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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.

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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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