A Fresno County man was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in state prison for a high-speed, alcohol-fueled crash that killed one man and injured several others in a fiery collision near Orange Cove last year, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Jesus Rosendo Zeferino, 25, of Reedley, received the sentence from Judge Stephanie Negin after pleading guilty in May to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving with a blood alcohol level over .08%, causing great bodily injury, according to prosecutors.

The crash occurred on the evening of Oct. 19, 2024, as Zeferino was driving eastbound on Manning Avenue, near Hill Avenue, at an estimated 90 mph.

Authorities said he failed to stop at a stop sign and slammed into the rear of a sedan driven by Eli Abraham Lopez Lopez, 27, of Kingsburg, who was stopped at the intersection.

The force of the impact pushed Lopez Lopez’s vehicle through the intersection, where it caught fire. One passenger managed to escape with severe burns, but the victim was unable to get out and died at the scene.

After the initial collision, Zeferino’s vehicle veered into westbound traffic and struck another car stopped at the same intersection.

All three of Zeferino’s passengers suffered serious injuries, including one who had to be airlifted to a hospital by SkyLife helicopter.

California Highway Patrol officers determined Zeferino’s blood alcohol concentration was .16%, twice the legal limit.

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