Woman Killed in Wrong-way Crash with Suspected Drunk Driver in San Antonio
According to the San Antonio Express-News, an allegedly drunk driver traveling the wrong way on U.S. Highway 281 struck and killed a female motorist Sunday morning in San Antonio.
Driver Faces Felony Charges
Lauren E. Patrick, 27, traveled north on Highway 281 near St. Mary’s Street at around 5:23 a.m. when the accident occurred. The alleged drunk driver, 26-year-old Orlando Saldivar, drove south in the northbound lanes when he crashed head-on with Patrick’s car. Patrick was on her way to work when the accident occurred.
Patrick’s car struck the center median and crashed into the side of a bus before coming to rest. Patrick died at the scene of the crash, reports the San Antonio Express-News.
Saldivar faces a second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter charge, which carries a potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
Alcohol-impaired Driving Statistics
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 28 people die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver every day. In addition,
- The cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion each year.
- In 2014, 9,967 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
- This accounts for 31 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
- Sixteen percent of motor vehicle crashes involve drugs (legal or illegal) other than alcohol.
