Driver charged in wreck that killed Alamo girl, 9
EDINBURG — A 28-year-old Elsa woman faces negligent homicide charges for her involvement in an accident that killed a nine-year-old Alamo girl and injured two others, authorities said.
Dulce Elizabeth Diaz was booked in Hidalgo County jail Monday and will be arraigned Tuesday, said Trooper Johnny Hernandez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Diaz was driving a 2002 Oldsmobile four-door sedan that allegedly broadsided a 2002 Ford Taurus at the intersection of Val Verde and Canton roads in Edinburg at about 3 a.m. Sunday, Hernandez said. Priscilla Cabrera, of Alamo, was riding in the Taurus with her aunt and uncle and died in the crash.
Her 28-year-old uncle has been released from McAllen Medical Center after sustaining minor injuries, but her 24-year-old aunt is still in serious condition, Hernandez said. The passengers of the Oldsmobile —Diaz and a four-year-old girl— were not seriously injured.
The Taurus was traveling south on Val Verde Road when Diaz’s Oldsmobile, traveling east on Canton Road, broadsided it, Hernandez said.
A stop sign that should have been up by the eastbound lane of Canton Road had been struck down, most likely by a tractor or other piece of machinery, Hernandez said. The incident was not reported.
Diaz is being charged in the accident because the bigger roadway — Val Verde Road — has the right-of-way over a smaller road, Hernandez said. Diaz also neglected a sign west of the intersection on Canton indicating that a stop sign was ahead, he said.
The speed limit on that stretch of Val Verde is 55 m.p.h. and the speed limit in that area of Canton Road is 30 m.p.h. Hernandez would not say whether speeding was a cause of the accident or if Diaz was intoxicated, saying the accident was still under investigation.
The Texas Department of Transportation replaced the stop sign at the Val Verde and Canton intersection Monday.
Hernandez urged residents who see a felled stop sign to call TxDOT or DPS at (956) 984-5621 to report it.
