Milwaukee, Wisconsin — A Wisconsin man will spend nearly two decades behind bars after a devastating wrong-way highway crash killed an unborn baby and left the baby’s mother fighting to survive inside a burning vehicle.
Jorge Alvarez-Mathuzima, 40, was sentenced to 17 years in prison followed by eight years of probation after pleading guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, according to court records.
The case stemmed from a crash that happened shortly before 4:30 a.m. on October 26 on Interstate 43.
The victim was approximately five and a half months pregnant when Alvarez-Mathuzima allegedly drove the wrong way down the highway and slammed into her vehicle.
Pregnant Woman Trapped as Car Caught Fire
The collision was so violent that the woman’s vehicle caught fire after the impact, leaving her trapped inside.
A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy who arrived at the scene was able to pull the woman from the burning vehicle and get her to safety. Although the expectant mother survived the crash, her unborn baby did not.
The tragedy became the central focus of the criminal case, with prosecutors arguing that the death was the direct result of Alvarez-Mathuzima’s extremely reckless decision to drive while intoxicated and in the wrong direction on a major highway.
Prosecutor Says Driver Took Unthinkable Risks
Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Grant Huebner delivered a blunt assessment of the consequences during sentencing.
“He robbed this woman of a chance to be a mother,” Huebner told the court, according to local ABC affiliate WISN.
Huebner said Alvarez-Mathuzima had been drinking while watching what prosecutors believed was the World Series before getting into his vehicle.
His blood alcohol level was reportedly nearly twice the legal limit. According to Huebner, Alvarez-Mathuzima ignored multiple warnings that he was traveling in the wrong direction.
“He did so because he got drunk watching, I believe, the World Series, got into a car he should have never gotten into, drove past signs telling him it’s the wrong way, drove past multiple cars, drove past a deputy, and drove into an expectant mother,” Huebner said.
The prosecutor’s description highlighted how many opportunities there allegedly were for the driver to realize he was traveling dangerously before the fatal collision occurred.
Driver Takes Responsibility and Asks for Forgiveness
During his sentencing hearing, Alvarez-Mathuzima accepted responsibility for what happened and asked the victim and her family for forgiveness.
He also expressed regret over the loss of the unborn child.
“If I had the power to relive that moment, I would gladly trade places with you and sustain all of your injuries,” he said during sentencing, according to WISN.
“I would gladly trade my life for that of your unborn son.”
His comments came as the court considered both the devastating consequences of the crash and the circumstances surrounding his actions that night.
Judge Says Good Character Cannot Undo the Damage
Judge David Swanson reportedly noted that Alvarez-Mathuzima had received numerous letters of support, suggesting that people who knew him considered him a person of high character.
But the judge made clear that those character references could not erase what happened on Interstate 43.
“You took an incredibly careless and reckless risk with the lives of everyone who was on the road that early morning,” Swanson reportedly told him.
The 17-year prison sentence followed by eight years of probation now closes the criminal proceedings stemming from the deadly crash.
For the pregnant woman who survived, however, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom. She survived a collision that left her trapped inside a burning vehicle, but lost her unborn son in a tragedy prosecutors say was caused by an entirely preventable decision to drink and drive.
The case serves as another devastating reminder of how quickly an intoxicated driver’s decision can put innocent people in mortal danger.
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