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L.I. Man Sentenced In Wrong-Way Crash After Pleading Guilty To DWI

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years in prison in connection with a wrong-way crash that seriously injured a married couple last year.

Pedro Hernandez was arrested for driving while intoxicated following the wrong-way crash on Route 347 in Smithtown on Feb. 23, 2014.

The crash seriously injured Reyna Pena, 52, and her husband Lorenzo Rodriguez, 53, who remains in a wheelchair a year after the wreck.

L.I. Man Sentenced In Wrong-Way Crash After Pleading Guilty To DWI

Hernandez, 25, who pleaded guilty to all charges including aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated DWI, apologized numerous times as he faced a judge Wednesday, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.

The couple said they forgive Hernandez.

"They just said that they had hope that he had learned from his lesson, they are forgiving people and that they would not bear him any ill will,"  said Suffolk County prosecutor Raymond Varuolo. "They hope that he taught other people about the dangers of drinking and driving."

Hernandez could have faced 15 years in prison, but the judge decided to issue a lighter sentence because of the couple's forgiveness and the fact that Hernandez, who is not a citizen, will be deported to Honduras after his prison time, Hall reported.

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