galveston county – Michmutters

All 4 victims, including 2 children, identified after drunk driver slams into golf cart at Galveston intersection, police say

GALVESTON – Galveston police have released the identities of the four victims, including two children who were killed after a suspected drunk driver slammed into a golf cart they were riding in late Saturday night.

Police said Felipe Bentacur, 49, and Destiny Uvalle, 25, were two of the adult victims identified in the crash. The minor victims were identified as 14-year-old Brailyn Cantu, and the youngest, 4-year-old Kaisyn Bentacur.

Two additional victims from the golf cart remain in the hospital in critical condition, according to police.

WHAT HAPPENED?

A suspected drunk driver is in custody after four people, including two children and several were injured after a major crash involving multiple vehicles and a golf cart at a Galveston intersection on Saturday night, Galveston police said.

Forty-five-year-old Miguel Espinoza, the man who police say caused the crash, has been charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter. He is currently under police custody. Espinoza appeared before a judge Monday where he learned of the charges against him and was appointed an attorney.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Avenue R and 33rd Street at around 11:30 pm

According to Galveston PD in a release, a black-colored Hyundai SUV was on the eastbound side of Avenue R when Espinoza was driving eastbound in a Hyundai SUV on R Avenue. Investigators said he failed to stop at the intersection, striking a golf cart and a pickup truck that was traveling northbound and a Dodge pickup truck traveling southbound.

Six people, including three children, were in the golf cart at the time of the crash. One adult passenger died at the scene, while the rest were taken to an area hospital where a second adult passenger and two children later died. A third passenger and a child remain in critical condition.

The driver of a black Dodge pickup truck and a child passenger were treated with minor injuries and were later released, according to police.

Police say Espinoza had a passenger in the car who was treated and released.

“We knew that these golf carts were becoming more and more frequent on our roads,” said Galveston Mayor Craig Brown. “We have had other reports of accidents and so forth with golf carts but nothing to this extent.”

Galveston Mayor Craig Brown said while the golf cart involved in Saturday’s crash was being used in accordance to the city’s ordinance, the city council is considering possible changes to the ordinance. He said the council members may discuss ways of making the roads safer for golf carts, which are legal on certain roads and have become more popular with visitors renting them.

“City council is going to be looking this coming Thursday to possibly be making changes to our ordinance that may give more constraints and better safety for our visitors here. It’s possible that we would be looking at possibly not having golf carts during the evening hours or at night time being able to operate. So we’re just going to look at all aspects of this,” Mayor Brown said.

To read the current colt cart ordinance click here: https://www.galvestontx.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=172

Suspected drunk driver, Miguel Espinoza, charged after crashing into golf cart, killing two children and two adults in Galveston

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) — A suspected drunk driver is being charged after crashing into a golf cart and truck, killing two children and two adults Saturday night, according to police.

Miguel Espinoza, 45, of Rosenberg, is charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and is being held on a $400,000 bond.

At about 11:35 pm, officers responded to a crash near the intersection of 33rd Street and Avenue R.

Investigators said Espinoza was headed eastbound in a black Hyundai SUV on Avenue R and failed to stop, hitting the golf cart that was traveling northbound and a Dodge pickup truck that was heading southbound.

Family members dropped off balloons and stuffed animals at the scene on Sunday and told ABC13 news that a grandfather was driving the golf cart with his wife, their niece, and three grandkids.

The grandfather, niece, and two grandkids died. The grandmother and one of the grandkids survived and are in the hospital fighting for their lives.

According to the family, all the family members are from the Rosenberg area, and the grandparents often took their grandkids and family members to Galveston to vacation and enjoy the beach.

“Awesome, they are awesome grandparents,” Minnie Villaboz, the great-grandparent of one of the victims, said.

“They both would bring them here all the time,” Sylvia Martinez, a family friend, added. “They were just here not too long ago. It’s summer, and they are about to start school. I’m sure they wanted to come out and enjoy themselves before school started.”

Neighbors who heard the crash sprang into action, forming a triage and helping those still alive before first responders got there.

“I was trying to comfort the grandma. The grandma was laying right there,” Kimberly Ruiz, a witness, said. “She was trying to get up. I kept telling her, ‘Don’t get up.’ As other people were coming and comforting her, I ran over here to the little boy comforting him because he was still breathing. It was pretty bad.”

Ruiz said she couldn’t stop crying when thinking about the horrendous scene. The tragedy now has a shattered community holding their kids and grandkids tighter.

“I just went back inside and started loving on my kids because that was very thick,” Ruiz said.

During a press conference, Galveston Mayor Craig Brown said golf carts have become a prolific way of transportation for those who live or are visiting the island. While he said ordinances were passed about six months ago, the mayor said the city council would discuss additional safety measures to ensure the community stays safe.

For updates on this story, follow Brooke Taylor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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