VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A 45-year-old man who was found to be over twice the legal DUI limit following a deadly crash in Visalia was sentenced to 19 years in state prison on Tuesday, according to the Tulare County DA’s office.
Officials say 45-year-old Bryan Buhl was driving his van on Caldwell, near West Street, on July 2 at around 8:30 p.m. when he failed to see 55-year-old John Bolin who was riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Buhl made a u-turn in front of the victim and the two collided.
According to the DA’s office, it was later established that Buhl had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of .23%. The legal limit in California is 0.08% BAC, meaning Buhl was over twice the legal limit.
On December 20, 2022, prosecutors accepted Buhl’s plea of no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter DUI with gross negligence and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and great bodily injury.
Buhl previously had DUI convictions from the years 1997, 2014, and 2019.