After spending several days in the hospital, a 49-year-old Hidalgo man has been booked into jail over accusations of leading Palmview police while intoxicated before causing a major crash resulting in serious bodily injury.
Remijio Cardoza is charged with driving while intoxicated, third or more, evading arrest causing serious bodily injury and four counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.
Authorities booked Cardoza into the Hidalgo County Detention Center on Wednesday where he remains on a total of $120,000 in bonds, records show.
The crash happened at around 6:26 p.m. on Jan. 30, a Saturday, when a Palmview police officer tried to pull over the tan Dodge Caravan driven by Cardoza for speeding and driving against traffic on La Homa Road, south of Frontage Road, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Officer Martinez activates his emergency red and blue lights with audible wailing siren and a vehicular pursuit ensued through the city of Palmview, Texas culminating into a major accident on Business 83 and Los Ebanos Road, Mission, Texas,” the affidavit states.
Palmview police say Cardoza hit a gray Mazda 5 head-on, causing that vehicle to collide with a white Ford F-150 pickup truck.
The driver of the Mazda 5 suffered a broken collar bone, left wrist, right leg and right ankle, authorities say.
The passengers and driver of the Ford F-150 “sustained serious bodily injuries, such as severe pain to the abdomen.”
Cardoza was also injured in the crash and was unable to perform the standardized field sobriety test though police say he voluntarily provided a blood specimen.
According to the affidavit, Cardoza admitted to drinking a 12-pack of “alcoholic beverages” before the crash.
“Detective Cuba reviewed Mr. Cardoza’s complete criminal history and observed that Mr. Cardoza had two prior convictions of driving while intoxicated and five deportations,” the affidavit states.
Cardoza was convicted of two driving while intoxicated arrests that happened in 1999 and 2008, records show.
