Fall River man sentenced to prison concerning crash that killed Jaedin Monteiro, seriously injured two others

A 23-year-old Fall River man whose drunken driving resulted in the death of 18-year-old Jaedin Monteiro and the serious injury to two other friends was sentenced yesterday to state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced.

Jason Lindsay, who was 20 years old at the time of the fatal incident, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with Manslaughter while Operating Under the Influence and two counts of OUI with Serious Bodily Injury. He was sentenced to serve five to seven years.

On January 29, 2021, the defendant picked up Monteiro, a 19-year-old Fall River man and a 15-year-old Fall River boy in his 2003 Lexus sedan. During the afternoon, the group went to a liquor store where Lindsay met an unknown male who purchased several nips of Captain Morgan for him. Lindsay drank a nip outside of the car and at least one more inside of the car while he was driving. The group of four then began smoking marijuana while Lindsay drove around. As they entered into Dartmouth, Lindsay started driving the car at a reckless and dangerous speed. As he operated on Route 6, he lost control of his vehicle and the car slammed into a utility pole near the China Belle Restaurant. The collision ripped the back seat passenger door off of the vehicle where Monteiro was sitting. Montiero suffered serious head injuries and died as a result of the crash.

The 19-year-old was in the front passenger seat and the 15-year-old was in the rear passenger seat behind him. Both suffered serious injuries. The 15-year-old suffered a fractured vertebrae and a fracture in his neck as well as fluid on his right knee. He was in the hospital for three days. The 19-year-old also had two fractures to his lower back. The defendant sustained minor injuries.

An accident reconstruction analysis from the Massachusetts State Police showed that Lindsay was driving at 99.9 MPH when his vehicle began to swerve. He over-corrected and the car began to spin when the rear, driver’s side of his car struck the utility pole. The rear portion of the vehicle suffered catastrophic damage and continued hundreds of feet before coming to a rest. The speed limit where the collision occurred is 35 MPH.

Lindsay’s blood was taken at the Rhode Island Hospital and sent for testing. The analysis showed that at the time of the accident, the defendant’s Blood Alcohol Content was .19, more than twice the legal limit.

No one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jason Mohan and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan.

“This is yet another tragic example of a defendant driving recklessly while drunk, and causing death and serious injuries to his friends,” District Attorney Quinn said. “My heart goes out to the families of all who have been impacted for the rest of their lives by this terrible, yet avoidable, accident.”