Six Dead in League City Collision After High-Speed Chase

Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) September 18, 2014 – Police officials described it as the worst they had ever seen “in terms of lives lost and a devastating accident scene.” Six people died in an August 10 collision in League City, Texas, about 30 miles south of Houston.

Juan Garcia Ahuezoteco, 23, caused the horrific collision after attempting to evade police on the road.

“One person’s terrible, split-second decision can cost lives — and too often, not just his or her own, but many others. My thoughts are with the victims’ families and loved ones,” said Richard LaGarde, a Houston attorney who handles personal injury and auto accident lawsuits.

All involved were League City residents, and a family of four is among the deceased. Alejandra Guererro, 38, her husband Rafael Guererro, 41, their 15-year-old son, and her brother, Gilberto Ortega Jr., 25, were mere blocks from home when they were killed. Ahuezoteco and his passenger and cousin, Alejandro Molina, were also found dead at the scene.

The police pursuit began around 8:20 p.m. in Dickinson, Texas on August 10. Officers spotted Ahuezoteco’s Dodge Durango weaving through the darkness without headlights and attempted to pull the vehicle over. 

Ahuezoteco fled, and Officer Daniel Banda found himself in a 100 mph high-speed chase, struggling to keep pace with the SUV. Ahuezoteco clipped a vehicle as he raced past a stop sign before colliding with the Guererro family’s Honda Accord at another intersection less than two minutes later.  

Three of the victims were ejected from their vehicles in the crash. The force of impact was so great that the Durango plowed through the Accord entirely. The SUV slammed into a light pole, knocking out local power, before coming to rest. All six people involved in the crash died at the scene. Banda was uninjured. It is currently unknown whether anyone in the car the Durango clipped was injured.

Police have stated that a previous warrant had been issued for Ahuezoteco’s arrest on a separate felony charge of driving while intoxicated.

Several law enforcement agencies are involved in the official, ongoing investigation. Conclusions may be some months away.

The Guererro’s older son was not in the vehicle, and he survives his family in League City. The legal response to the tragedy will be complex and difficult for all involved. “There are so many victims here,” LaGarde explained. “With no survivors, the pursuit of justice and fair compensation changes dramatically. Once the police has reached investigative results and the court has managed any criminal cases that follow, the Guererro’s child may pursue Ahuezoteco’s estate, and other at-fault parties if they are found, in civil suits. In the face of such crippling loss, clear and supportive legal counsel will be all the more important.”

Learn more at http://www.lagardelaw.com.