A Las Vegas man has been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison after prosecutors said he caused a devastating DUI crash that killed a pregnant woman’s unborn baby and seriously injured multiple members of her family.
Maximiliano Chavez, 28, was sentenced on May 7 in Clark County after pleading guilty to two counts of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and one count of reckless driving, according to local reports.
The heartbreaking crash happened on Sept. 6, 2025, when Chavez allegedly sped through a red light and slammed into a vehicle carrying a pregnant mother and her family, triggering a violent four-car collision.
According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the victims had just left a joyful family outing moments before everything changed forever.
Rebekeh Dauz, 37, had been returning home from a special 4D ultrasound appointment celebrating her unborn baby, Marlito Nikaoh. She was riding in the vehicle with her 9-year-old son Isaiah and several family members when the crash happened.
“Just before the accident, our family had gathered together for something truly special,” family organizer Marie Slife wrote on a GoFundMe page created after the tragedy.
“We were all overwhelmed with love and excitement … We never imagined that soon after, everything would change.”
The impact left Dauz and her young son with life-threatening injuries.
Doctors rushed Dauz into emergency surgery in a desperate attempt to save her unborn child after the crash. Tragically, despite being delivered, the baby did not survive.
“The child was successfully delivered; however, despite all life-saving efforts, the child did not survive,” police said.
Authorities said Chavez showed signs of impairment at the scene and was arrested shortly afterward. He was initially booked on multiple DUI charges and reckless driving counts.
The emotional aftermath of the crash deeply affected the family and the local community.
Weeks later, footage captured the heartbreaking moment Dauz was finally reunited with her son Isaiah after the two had been separated while recovering in different hospital rooms at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
The mother and son shared an emotional hug in the hospital hallway after surviving the horrific crash.
Meanwhile, the family’s GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $23,000 to help cover mounting medical expenses following the tragedy.
Chavez will now spend between 16 and 40 years behind bars for the crash that forever changed the lives of Dauz and her family.