Man starts sentence in crash that killed Miami Heat dancer

Published March 17, 2017

A man whose drunken driving crash claimed the life of a Miami Heat dancer has begun a 15-year sentence.

The Miami Herald (https://goo.gl/DcFQI4 ) reports 49-year-old Mario Careaga turned himself in to authorities Monday in South Florida's Broward County. He was convicted of DUI manslaughter three years ago, and had been free on bail pending appeal. He lost his appeal earlier this year.

Authorities say 22-year-old Nancy Lopez-Ruiz was riding her motorcycle on a Fort Lauderdale street in September 2015 when Careaga struck her with his car. She died at the scene.

Prosecutors said Careaga had a blood-alcohol content level of 0.24 percent. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08 percent.

Lopez-Ruiz had just signed to dance with the NBA's Miami Heat at the time of the crash.

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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com

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