A 22-year-old man was sentenced on Thursday to four years in state prison for a wrong-way, drunken driving crash that killed a 21-year-old electrician on Highway 99, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Saul Saldana Armenta received the minimum sentence for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated during a hearing in Tulare County Superior Court.

The fatal head-on collision occurred around 3:11 a.m. on April 24, 2024. Armenta was driving a Dodge Charger southbound in the northbound fast lane of Highway 99 near Goshen when he struck a Honda Civic. The driver of the Civic, who was engaged to be married and on his way to work, died at the scene, authorities said.

Following the crash, Armenta displayed signs of intoxication and was hospitalized for surgery. Tests revealed his blood alcohol content was 0.21%. He remained free on bail until a jury convicted him in February 2026, at which point he was taken into custody.

Under California law, the crime carries a sentence of four, six, or 10 years. The Tulare County Probation Department recommended a six-year term, and prosecutors argued for six to 10 years after the jury found an aggravating factor of great bodily harm, the DA’s office said. However, the court opted for the four-year minimum.

The California Highway Patrol investigated the crash.

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