Driver to enter plea in McAllen crash that killed 1, injured 5

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A McAllen woman accused of causing a single-vehicle crash that killed one person and severely injured five others is set to be arraigned. Gabriela Nunez Garcia, 18, of McAllen is scheduled to appear at the Hidalgo County 370th District Court on Monday to enter a plea on six charges connected to the alcohol-related crash. In March, Garcia was indicted on charges of intoxication manslaughter and five counts of intoxication assault. The crash occurred on the early morning of Nov. 29 at the 1600 block of N. Bicentennial Blvd., located in the vicinity of downtown McAllen. Responding officers found Garcia and six others trapped inside the rolled-over vehicle, classified as a Ford Bronco. One of the passengers, Jacob Rodriguez, 25, died of the injuries he sustained in the crash. "I can tell you she's very devastated because of what has happened. She is very young," said Garcia's attorney, Santos Maldonado. "She was attending school at UTSA. Unfortunately, those plans have now changed. Hopefully she will start attending here locally at the university. But I can tell you she's taking it serious. I'm taking this case serious. There's some very serious allegations and very severe consequences." Maldonado said he is waiting on reports to come in to see what evidence there is against his client, and is advising her to plead not guilty on all six counts. "She will ultimately have to make a decision which way this case is going to turn in the future," Maldonado said. Maldonado said the decision could be devastating not only for Garcia, but everyone else involved. "There's a person that lost their life and others injured seriously and obviously we have to address all those issues," Maldonado said. According to an affidavit obtained by ValleyCentral in December, one of the passengers told investigators that all of the passengers, including the driver, had been drinking alcohol at Noxx Nightclub before the deadly crash. The crash prompted the city of McAllen to crack down on bar violations in its downtown entertainment district. Amid the crackdown, the city of McAllen filed a lawsuit against Noxx Nightclub and its owners. The lawsuit attributed Noxx's risk to public safety. In January, a judge ordered Noxx Nightclub to permanently shut down due to accusations of repeated violations. The accusations include failing to enforce the use of age verification devices and failing to mark all occupants under the age of 21 with UV ink. If found guilty of the most serious offense, intoxication manslaughter, Garcia could be sentenced between two and 20 years in prison. RELATED COVERAGE: