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The family of a young Edinburg woman who was killed by an alleged drunk driver over the weekend on the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway is seeking justice.
According to a news release, the father of Mariah Desiree Enriquez has hired the law firm of J. Michael Moore and filed a lawsuit against 48-year-old Hugo Lara, of McAllen, who was the driver of the other vehicle involved in the deadly crash.
Enriquez, 20, was killed early Sunday morning when the vehicle Lara was driving traveled westbound on the eastbound lane of the causeway. Lara’s 2023 white Ford F-150 crashed into Enriquez’s 2008 red Kia, resulting in her death hours after she’d celebrated her graduation on Saturday.
“Unbeknownst to the Enriquez family, Hugo Lara, who has 2 prior DWI arrests and an arrest for assaulting 2 peace officers, was out drinking at a friend’s 42nd birthday party on South Padre Island that same night,” a statement from the law firm read. “In a highly intoxicated state, Lara decided to drive back, taking his 2023 Ford Pickup the wrong way on the causeway. He drove westbound into the eastbound lanes, colliding head-on with Mariah’s 2008 Kia passenger car and causing fatal injuries to the young woman.”
The lawsuit says the crash happened at 1:45 a.m.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Hidalgo County, according to the news release, and seeks to “hold Lara and any others who enabled his intoxicated state that night accountable for Mariah’s death.”
A temporary restraining order was also issued against Lara as part of the legal action.
“The Enriquez family intends to shine a light on how a previously convicted drunk driver who also assaulted two peace officers was allowed back onto the streets to commit this horrendous act,” Moore said in the release. “Those responsible will be held accountable.”
In the lawsuit, Enriquez is seeking $1 million in monetary relief.
