San Antonio Man Convicted of Intoxication Manslaughter

A San Antonio man was convicted of intoxication manslaughter by a Kendall County jury on Thursday and is now facing up to 20 years in prison.

About the Fatal Drunk Driving Accident

According to the San Antonio Express-News, 23-year-old Paul A. Garcia was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection to a fatal car crash near Boerne that resulted in the death of Destiny Bruce, 24, and the injury of her half-sister, Grace Bruce, 11.

The prosecution claimed that the crash was a “textbook case” of intoxication manslaughter and presented evidence that Garcia’s blood-alcohol level was .187 and that Garcia had not attempted to stop his vehicle in the moments preceding the collision.

Garcia’s attorney contended that the .187 blood alcohol reading did not reflect Garcia’s BAC at the time of the accident because it was taken at the hospital hours after the accident occurred.

Garcia was acquitted of felony injury to a child, but the jury did convict him on the lesser offense of causing bodily injury to a child. Reports showed that Grace had suffered a bruised lung, glass in her eye and a possible concussion in the accident.

Texas Car Crash Statistics

• According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 3,399 people were killed in accidents along Texas roadways in 2012 – up 10.82 percent from the 3,067 deaths reported in 2011.
• In addition, 230,506 people were injured in auto accidents with 87,087 people sustaining a serious injury.
• It was determined that alcohol was a factor in 1,099 of the recorded deaths, accounting for 32.3 percent of the total number of fatalities recorded.