Driver Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Crash That Killed Five on 6 de Noviembre Highway

A truck crashed into five motorcycles on the 6 de Noviembre highway in an accident that killed five people. The driver was sentenced to three years in prison.

A special traffic court in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, sentenced Saudy Javier Abad, the driver of a truck involved in a crash that killed five people and left another with permanent injuries, to three years in prison. The crash took place on August 1, 2025, on the 6 de Noviembre highway.

According to the prosecution, Abad was driving recklessly and carelessly when he collided with five motorcycles traveling on the median that divides the road. The court found him guilty of violating articles 220 and 303, sections 4 and 5, of Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transport, Traffic and Road Safety.

Part of the sentence will be served in prison. Abad must spend one year and ten months at the Najayo Hombres Correction and Rehabilitation Center in San Cristóbal. He will serve the remaining one year and two months on probation, under conditions set by the sentence enforcement judge. These include living at his declared address, attending traffic safety talks run by the National Road Education School (Enevial), and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption.

The court also ordered him to pay court costs and a fine equal to 15 public-sector minimum salaries, payable to the state. Abad, the truck's owner, Saturnino Corporán, as a civilly liable third party, and the insurance company must pay compensation to the victims.

The court warned that if the convicted man fails to meet the conditions, his partial suspension could be revoked and he would have to serve the full three years at Najayo Hombres. The full written ruling is scheduled to be read on November 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.