Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Race Car Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

Originally reported on NBC's Miami website, a famous race car driver may now have to "face the music" as he has been charged with a DUI manslaughter for his role in a deadly crash...

A man who struck and killed a pedestrian with his SUV in Miami Beach recently was none other then Brazilian race car driver J.P. Mauro, according to a Miami police report.

The 20-year-old Brazilian race car driver was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV north on Collins Avenue at about 60 mph in a 30 mph zone when his car swerved left and drove up onto the sidewalk at about 1:30 a.m., said a Miami Beach Police spokesman.

That is where the drunk driver struck a pedestrian who was attempting to put his bicycle into a rear door of another SU. The impact threw the hapless victim “to the sidewalk, mid-block” and he died on the scene.

The Mercedes, driven by J.P. Mauro, kept going north on the sidewalk until it stopped several blocks later.

The driver, whose legal name is acually Joao Paulo Escudero Mauro, had a flushed face and bloodshot eyes, classic signs of a possible DUI. His breath also smelled heavily of alcohol. Mauro acknowledged swerving to avoid a vehicle stopped in traffic in front of him, and that he had been drinking earlier.

Police also noted that Mauro had “a white powdery substance in his left nostril,” and that they found a small baggie of what appeared to be cocaine near where he was standing,some time after the crash.

Mauro has been charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and cocaine possession, and another charge because he altered his Brazilian state ID card to make him appear of age for drinking alcohol here, police said.

The police are claiming that J.P. Mauro is “a flight risk” and comes from a wealthy family in Brazil, and that the Brazilian Consulate was notified at the request of Mauro’s father.

As a racer, Mauro has competed in Brazilian stock car racing, and made his American debut at a Grand-Am Road Racing event, the Road America 200 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in Wisconsin, last June.

I have written in this blog previously about a synergistic affect when it comes to drinkin and driving...That simply means combining alcohol and drugs (such as in this case) can enhance the affects of the two substances, making the user feel more "under the influence" then they might otherwise...

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a DUI or possession of cocaine? Then call the experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. today at 727.286.6141. You can also email your St. Pete criminal defense attorneys by clicking here...