Houston, Texas - Mayra Ospina Left Brain Dead After Tragic DUI Crash with Zachary Castro

Zachary Castro Charged with Intoxication Manslaughter After Leaving Woman Brain Dead in Crash

The charges against a suspected drunk driver have been upgraded after one of the victims from a crash has been declared brain dead. 26-year-old Zachary Castro has now been charged with intoxication manslaughter.

According to deputies, Castro's pickup truck crashed into a group of people who were attempting to assist a disabled driver on Barker Cypress Road in Houston early Monday morning. One of those victims, 23-year-old Mayra Ospina, was declared brain dead at a hospital on Wednesday.

The crash happened at approximately 12:40 a.m. on Monday. According to the authorities, three vehicles were stopped to help a grey Nissan Altima that had just been involved in a crash, but the driver was missing. Castro's blue Toyota pickup truck crashed into this group of people and their parked cars, according to the authorities. Four people were struck - two suffered serious injuries and one had broken bones.

Deputies said that Castro admitted that he had been drinking alcohol that evening. He was originally charged with three counts of intoxication assault.

Financial Compensation For People Injured by Drunk Drivers in Texas

Attorney contributor Anjali Nigam assists families that have been affected by drunk driving crashes, helping them recover the financial compensation they need and deserve. Here is Anjali with some legal commentary on the financial compensation options available to drunk driving crash victims and their families in Texas:

Drunk driving crashes can be tragic for the innocent victims involved, often resulting in severe or fatal injuries. When these tragedies strike, it's important that the victims and their families are aware of their legal rights. These crashes can leave victims and families with serious financial and personal difficulties which may require financial compensation.

Drunk drivers can be sued directly in personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits, but the available legal options don't always end here. In some cases, Texas and many other states allow victims and families to file dram shop lawsuits against alcohol vendors who serve drunk drivers before crashes.

According to Texas dram shop laws, an alcohol vendor can be held liable for injuries or deaths caused by a customer if:

• alcohol was provided to someone under age 18, or
• the customer was "obviously" intoxicated to a dangerous extent when the alcohol was provided, and
• the intoxication was a foreseeable cause of the injuries suffered in the crash.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver in Texas, you can learn more about your legal rights in a free consultation with one of our experienced DUI crash victims lawyers.

Sources:

https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/man-faces-intoxication-manslaughter-charge-after-woman-declared-brain-dead/285-bdcb0d7d-3398-41b2-b292-4a9ef16c81d9

https://www.click2houston.com/traffic/2020/01/29/charges-against-driver-upgraded-after-1-of-3-crash-victims-declared-brain-dead/