Alcohol Involved in San Angelo Car Accident, Two Killed and Two Injured

The lives of several people will forever be changed due to one Texas man’s recklessness on the road. Two were killed and two others were injured in a multi-vehicle car accident on Saturday, June 7th, 2014 just west of San Angelo, TX. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials arrested Richard Michael Garcia, III, 20, of San Angelo for causing the car accident. The following day, Garcia was booked at the Tom Green County Jail on two counts of criminally negligent homicide, driving while intoxicated (DWI), accident involving injury, and racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury.

Negligence Behind the Wheel

The accident occurred in Irion County just short of the Tom Green County line. 21-year old Stephen Tyler Wadsworth was driving his Honda Civic with 22-year old Emily McKenna Word who was riding as a passenger. Garcia’s vehicle veered off of the road before rear-ending a Peterbilt truck. Wadsworth swerved to avoid the collision and in doing so, collided with a Kenworth truck. Both Wadsworth and Word died at the scene despite wearing seatbelts.

Gary Dudley Lewis, the driver of the Peterbilt, was not injured. Jeffrey Alan Bell, the driver of the Kenworth, was transported to Shannon Medical Center where he was treated for non-incapacitating injuries. Garcia also had a passenger, 21-year old Stacci Rai Norton of San Angelo, who was also treated.

Specific details concerning the case, such as how intoxicated Garcia was at the time of the accident, have not been released. It was reported that Shannon Medical Center did not have any patients by any of the aforementioned names on Sunday evening.

Criminally negligent homicide is a felony and Garcia is facing up to two years in state jail as well as up to 20 years in prison for racing on a highway and causing serious bodily injury, which is a third-degree felony. Each felony Garcia is charged with carries a fine of up to $10,000.

Trusted Legal Guidance

Losing a loved one to a negligent act can leave family members overwhelmed with how to handle the situation. If negligence has in some way played a role in your loved one’s accident, legal action can be taken. Personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits can result in the collection of monetary damages which can be used to alleviate strenuous financial burdens resulting from a car accident.

Our personal injury lawyer in Austin can help you determine which methods of action to take in order to hold the at-fault party responsible. Let’s get started today. Contact us to explore your legal options.