Bedminster man sentenced to five years in prison for fatal drunk driving crash
BEDMINSTER – A township man was sentenced on Nov. 10 to five years in state prison for a crash that killed a 65-year-old Bedminster resident at the intersection of Route 202/206 and River Road, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday.
George Rodriguez, 68, had pleaded guilty in September to charges of death by auto, driving while suspended and causing death, driving while suspended for a second or more drunken driving conviction, insurance fraud, motor vehicle fraud, driving while suspended and reckless driving.
Rodriguez was driving north on Route202/206 in his 2005 GMC Envoy at about 6:47 p.m. Nov. 13, 2020, when he crossed into the oncoming lanes at the intersection and "slammed" head-on into a 2009 Nissan Sentra driven by Michael Sivulich, Prosecutor John McDonald said.
Sivulich was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Evidence from the event data recorder in Rodriguez’s SUV indicated he was going 50 mph and never applied the brakes or made any attempt to avoid the crash, according to the prosecutor.
Rodriguez told police that he was trying to make a left turn and that he was “going the wrong way apparently,” McDonald said.
In his guilty plea before Superior Court Judge Peter Tober, Rodriguez also admitted that his driver’s license had been suspended since 2012 due to multiple drunken driving convictions.
Rodriguez also admitted that he had his vehicle fraudulently registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and that he had insured the vehicle under the name and address of an acquaintance, McDonald said.
Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania., Sivulich grew up in South Plainfield and graduated from South Plainfield High School in 1973. He later graduated from Kean College with a degree in economics, according to his obituary by McCrisken Funeral Home.
Employed by Verizon, Sivulich never missed a day of work in more than three decades, according to his obituary. He received several awards and commendations from Verizon.
Sivulich enjoyed playing the piano, accordion, organ and trumpet. He also loved sports, especially bowling and baseball.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bedminster NJ man sentenced to prison for drunken fatal crash
