Jasmine Arteaga had a blood alcohol content material stage of .26 on the time of the wrong-way crash that claimed the lifetime of Florencio Ramirez, based on prosecutors.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A grieving household is demanding justice for his or her cherished one who was killed in a wrong-way crash whereas on his solution to work.
The wreck occurred close to East Hardy Highway, simply west of Bush Airport, round 5:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 8.
Based on the Harris County Precinct 4’s Constable’s Workplace, Jasmine Arteaga, 26, was driving the fallacious method within the southbound lanes of the Hardy Toll Highway when she slammed into an oncoming automobile. Florencio Ramirez, who was driving that automobile, was rushed to the hospital, however he did not survive.
Florencio’s spouse, Sandra Ramirez, shared the heartbreaking actuality of shedding her husband of 27 years.
“I met him once I was 16. He was my entire life,” she stated.
Collectively, they raised 4 youngsters, the youngest solely six years outdated. Their oldest is 20.
“I stayed awake all night time, ready for him to knock on the door and that by no means occurred,” she stated.
His mom, Rosa Ramirez, stated she spoke to her son over the cellphone Friday. He had requested for her blessing as a result of he could be engaged on Saturday.
“I stated, mijo, but it surely’s Saturday, he says ‘I am simply stepping into for just a little bit. It will be the final Saturday as a result of they’re reducing the hours.’ I stated okay, however you be very cautious. Fall asleep now so you may go to work and be protected. These are the final phrases I advised him,” Rosa stated.
Rosa gave her son a blessing.
“I advised him in Spanish, nombre del el Padre, y el Hijo, y El Espiritu Santo,” Rosa recalled.
Florencio, a coordinator at LyondellBasell in La Porte, by no means made it to work that morning.
“It’s not honest that she will get to stroll away from this, and he’s gone,” stated his sister, Christina Ramirez.
Professional stated Artega had a blood alcohol content material stage of .26 on the time of the crash — greater than thrice the authorized restrict.
“I don’t know what his final ideas had been, if he thought, ‘I’ll die.’ However I do know if he thought something, I do know he received scared,” his daughter, Stephanie Ramirez stated.
Stephanie, Florencio’s oldest baby, stated he beforehand expressed issues about wrong-way drivers on the Hardy Toll Highway. Only a month earlier than, he advised his daughter a couple of shut name.
“He stated, ‘If that automotive would have hit me, I might have died immediately,’” she recalled.
Now, his household is left grappling with the unimaginable lack of a loyal husband, father and son who would get up in the midst of the night time on weekends to supply for his household.
“I wish to get up and see him stroll within the door,” Sandra stated.
The Ramirez household is now demanding accountability and hoping their tragedy serves as a warning to stop future drunk-driving incidents.
“We would like justice for my husband,” Sandra stated. “I don’t need another person to undergo the identical ache.”
Arteaga is being held within the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Officers stated the overwhelming majority of wrong-way driving incidents contain a driver who’s one way or the other impaired and prevention efforts concentrate on infrastructure in addition to informing the general public of the dangers of impaired driving.
“We assault it with the with the three Es,” TxDOT public info officer Danny Perez advised KHOU 11. “That is engineering, enforcement and schooling.”
Efforts embody purple, illuminated signage markings on the street at exit ramps in addition to detection and warning methods.
“We have checked out totally different areas the place we might see the potential for people to return up the fallacious method, particularly on our exit ramps,” Perez stated.
Managed roadways, just like the Westpark Tollway, can use mechanisms like gates so as to add a layer of safety.
Different metro areas have labored to handle the problem over time.
That features San Antonio which, in 2011, fashioned a process power to check the problem, give you potential options, put them in place and overview outcomes.
Putting in illuminated signage, street markers, a digital camera detection and warning system all helped carry down the variety of incidents. Within the first 12 months of a pilot program alongside one roadway, the duty power reported a 30% discount within the variety of wrong-way driving incidents.
In the end, officers say the primary solution to cut back the variety of such incidents is to stop drunk or impaired driving.
Harris County isn’t any stranger to wrong-way crashes just like the one which shut down the North Freeway for hours Thursday morning.
The county has seen 2,891 wrong-way crashes within the final 10 years, based on a KHOU 11 Investigates evaluation of Texas Division of Transportation information.
Eighty-seven of these crashes had been deadly and 111 individuals died.
The North Freeway is the deadliest stretch of roadway in Harris County over the previous 10 years, with 10 deadly crashes and 13 whole deaths. TxDOT information present medication or alcohol had been concerned in each a type of deadly crashes.
This is an inventory of the roadways with essentially the most lethal wrong-way wrecks in Harris County
Avoiding a wrong-way crash
Houston police have shared 4 suggestions to assist hold you protected from wrong-way drivers.
- First, keep alert together with your eyes trying forward and down the street for potential issues.
- Second, at night time, attempt to keep in the precise lane, as wrong-way drivers are more likely to be driving within the left-most lane.
- Third, if a fallacious method driver is headed in the direction of you, decelerate, transfer to the shoulder after which name 911.
- Police say your job is to save lots of your self and never attempt to cease the fallacious method driver.
Verify KHOU 11’s interactive visitors map:
