Esteban Echeverría: Drugged driver killed a father of a family and remains free

In the early morning of March 16, Josué Alberto Peralta, a 27-year-old construction worker and father of two, was brutally run over in Esteban Echeverría by a driver who was on drugs and without lights on his vehicle. The young man was returning from work and never made it home.

The incident occurred at 2:40 in the morning, when Josué was trying to cross the Camino de Cintura with a friend. There is no traffic light or pedestrian crossing in that area. Both waited prudently for several cars to pass before proceeding. But a Peugeot 308 suddenly appeared, without lights and at very high speed.

Josué tried to step back a few steps but the impact was inevitable. His body was thrown several meters, as shown by the images from the cameras at the place. Although his friend ran to assist him and they managed to take him to a hospital, Josué died shortly after. He had two children, aged 5 and 9.

He kept driving: tested positive for marijuana and is free

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Ángel Albarracín. Toxicological tests confirmed that he had consumed marijuana. However, he was not detained even preventively and remains free.

The lawyer Natalio Nicodemo, representative of the Peralta family and member of the Civil Association Madres del Dolor, denounced the seriousness of the case: "He didn't even try to help the victim. He drove on drugs, without lights, at criminal speed and is still free. Article 84 bis of the Penal Code is shameful."

The only measures taken were the retention of the vehicle and the performance of blood tests. The vehicle, according to the lawyer, was in good condition: "It had lights, brakes, it was a new car. We are going to request that its onboard computer be analyzed to determine the exact speed at the time of the crash. The video shows it was a criminal act."

A legal loophole that allows killing and continuing to drive

The case, in the hands of prosecutor Andrés Devoto (UFI No. 1 of Esteban Echeverría) and the Guarantees Court No. 2 of Lomas de Zamora, is classified as manslaughter. Despite the aggravating factors —drug use, speeding, lack of lights, and failure to assist— the accused was not detained.

There were other passengers in the car. A young woman stated that Albarracín had not consumed alcohol, a version confirmed by the tests. However, the consumption of marijuana was evident and is an aggravating factor in this type of crime. Another passenger has not yet been declared, and investigators are trying to reconstruct what the vehicle's occupants did before the incident.

The Madres del Dolor Association demands an urgent reform of the Penal Code. "With the modification we propose, this driver would have been detained. It can't be that someone who kills under these conditions continues to drive," Nicodemo emphasized.

This case not only exposes the tragedy of a destroyed family but also a legal system that allows a killer behind the wheel to continue driving with impunity.