Sentence Disappoints Victim of Wrong-Way Crash

Raleigh, N.C. — A man who drove the wrong way on Interstate 540 and caused a crash will spend at least two years in jail, a court has decided.

Eblin Fabiel Ocampo Cruz, 22, of U.S. Highway 70 West, was convicted of driving while impaired, reckless driving, failure to reduce speed and possession of a revoked license for the October 2007 crash on eastbound I-540 between Creedmoor and Six Forks roads.

He collided with a Ford Mustang driven by Bettie Coates, 42, who spent 29 days in the hospital and couldn't walk for months after the crash. Coates said Tuesday that she is disappointed in the sentence, given Cruz's record and immigration status.

Court records show that Cruz was also convicted of a DWI in 2006 – his first of at least five appearances in court that year.