The mother of a boy whose father was killed in an apparent drunk driving crash in Berkeley has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the accused drunk driver.



Alfredo Olvera-Ramirez, 33, of the 200 block of Palm Drive in Hazelwood, was charged last month in St. Louis County with involuntary manslaughter for causing a crash that killed Demarcus Upchurch, 29, of University City.



According to court documents, at about 3:40 a.m. on June 26, Olvera-Ramirez was driving on Berkeley Avenue at James S. McDonnell Boulevard when he crossed the center line and hit a vehicle driven by Upchurch. A blood test showed Olvera-Ramirez had a blood alcohol content of .11, over the legal limit of .08, court documents say.



On Friday, Amber Byas filed a wrongful death suit in St. Louis County Circuit Court on behalf of her and Upchurch’s seven-year-old son. The suit also names American Family Insurance Company for allegedly refusing her son a “reasonable amount of benefits” for an uninsured motorist claim.



Olvera-Ramirez is being held in the St. Louis County Jail on a $50,000 bond.