McAllen police responded to a major crash between two vehicles and found one of the drivers trapped inside their SUV with a nearly empty bottle of Moscato on the floorboard, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.
On Jan. 7 officers found 29-year-old Claudia Ann Carrizales passed out and huddled under the steering wheel of her 2020 Mazda CX-30 near the 1300 block of East Nolana Ave. Police had no means of pulling her out because the vehicle had flipped on its side.
As the fire department began to extract Carrizales from her SUV, authorities turned their attention to a 2008 Nissan Altima where officers found a motionless woman behind the steering wheel and a male passenger holding her head. Both were covered in blood, the affidavit said.
The man, later identified as Romeo Martinez, said he needed an ambulance for his wife, the driver, who was identified as 46-year-old Cynthia Lopez. Police told him there was one on its way though they were both also trapped in their vehicle.
Once they were all extracted, the three were taken to DHR Health where Martinez was treated for the cuts on his face and a head injury. Carrizales was treated for a broken right femur and Lopez was pronounced dead.
Officers inspected Carrizales’ SUV and found a wine bottle about three quarters empty. So they drafted a warrant for a blood sample and a judge signed off on it.
The test revealed Carrizales had Benzedrine, or Xanax, in her system at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit.
Carrizales was charged with one count of intoxicated manslaughter and two counts of intoxicated assault. She was released from jail Jan. 12 on a total of $80,000 in bonds.
