Possible drunken driver hits, kills man with three DUIs

DANA POINT, Calif. – An Orange County man recently released from rehab after three drunken driving convictions died when authorities say a 19-year-old driver who had been drinking struck him.

Haitham Gamal, 38, was bicycling in Dana Point when a 2001 Acura hit him on April 29, the Orange County Register reported Friday.

Gamal was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash occurred a day after Gamal pleaded guilty to a January 2013 DUI in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.

His lawyer, Walter Cole, said Gamal was on the “road to recovery” after a history of DUI arrests. He had recently completed an intensive rehabilitation program.

“He was doing the right thing, and somebody hit him that had been drinking,” Cole told the newspaper.

Authorities have not released the name of the driver. Detectives are awaiting blood-test results before they send their investigation to prosecutors for possible criminal charges.

The Acura flipped on its top after hitting Gamal, and the driver and his 18-year-old passenger were treated for moderate injuries at a hospital.

Cole said Gamal leaves behind a wife and young children.

He was sentenced the day before he died to five years of probation and 45 days in jail. He was going to serve 20 days in jail and then 45 days of home confinement.