18-year-old Ramiro Baca faces charges after a Racine crash killed a pregnant woman and injured three others.
TMJ4 reported that the crash happened Tuesday near 18th and Mead around 10:30 p.m. Prosecutors said Baca lost control of his car and hit two parked vehicles, causing the car to roll.
The criminal complaint says officers found Michelle Romero bleeding from the head and unconscious, and pronounced her dead at the scene. The 18-year-old who went by “Shelly” was pregnant.
The four other passengers in the vehicle told Racine police that they were all friends, and that Baca had picked them up to go get alcohol. One of the passengers said Baca started driving fast after picking up the alcohol. A passenger had then told Baca to slow down, but Baca hit two parked vehicles and the car rolled, causing them to go airborne.
All passengers were sent to the hospital where one was held for observation and the other transferred to Froedtert in critical condition with a brain bleed. One of the passengers identified in the complaint was also pregnant. Another passenger identified as JD, Romero’s boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, was treated and released.
Baca was treated for a broken nose and needed 14 stiches in his face. Results of a blood test indicated that Baca had a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.136.
Officers found several empty bottles and two cases of beer in the vehicle. Baca told officers in an interview that he had had two beers at 7:30 p.m.
Baca faces several charges in connection to Romero’s death and the injuries of the others:
- Knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, causing death
- Homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle
- Homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle – unborn child
- Intoxicated use of a vehicle causing great bodily harm
- Two counts of Operating while intoxicated causing injury – first offense
He faces over 50 years in prison if convicted of all the charges.
A fundraiser has been created for Romero’s mother, a single mom, to afford a funeral for her daughter. Organizers set a fundraiser goal of $15,000 to cover funeral expenses, and so far as of Thursday at 4:15 p.m. $3,310 had been raised. GoFundMe confirmed that the fundraiser is legitimate.