Juvenile, man charged with DWI in wreck that critically injured Franklin High students

ABC-7 has obtained the arrest photo for 28-year-old James Furman and 17-year-old Pablo Payan, the alleged drunk drivers involved in a wreck that left two El Paso high school students critically injured.

Sunland Park Police charged both Furman and Payan with DWI, officials said. The wreck happened Saturday, November 17, 2018 at the intersection of Edinburgh Drive and Leeds Drive.

A witness told police Payan, the juvenile driver of a Jeep Wrangler, was heading south on Edinburgh without using his vehicle’s headlights. Payan allegedly ran a stop sign at the intersection and collided with a Mitsubishi Galant, driven by James Furman, causing the Jeep to roll, police said.

Five passengers were riding in the Jeep with Payan. Police do not yet know if the passengers in the Jeep were wearing seatbelts.

James McClain Green, a Franklin High School athlete critically injured in the wreck, was a passenger in the Jeep. Witnesses say the Jeep landed on him. He remains hospitalized after undergoing several surgeries. McClain’s heart reportedly stopped twice. “They had to resuscitate him. At one point, they told the family he had passed. Then, they revived him,” said Lennie Brooks, McClain’s track and field coach.

ABC-7 spoke to a friend of Nathalie Diaz, a Franklin High School Junior who was also injured in the crash. The friend, Sophia DeSantiago, said Diaz told her she fractured her spine, and is in critical but stable condition.

Several of the Jeep’s passengers fled the scene, police said. In addition to McClain, three other people were injured in the wreck.

Multiple witnesses tell ABC-7 Furman remained at the scene and actually helped lift the jeep off McClain’s body.

Furman and his wife were also injured in the crash. Furman’s wife told ABC-7, “It is very painful for both of us to walk, but right now our hearts go out to McCain, and we hope and pray he pulls through.”

Sunland Park Police said the site of the crash falls under their jurisdiction and the City’s social host ordinance will apply. “Investigators believe this is related to a house party that was taking place that night,” police said in a news release.

Its Social Host ordinance states any person responsible who allows or permits an underage and “unruly gathering’ in their property can face a misdemeanor. First violation offenders of Sunland Park’s Social Host ordinance can be fined up to $250.

If you would like to help the families of the crash victims, there are links to GoFundMe Accounts:

Nathalie Diaz: https://www.gofundme.com/accident-help-nathalie-diaz-and-family

James McClain Green: https://www.gofundme.com/accident-help-james-mcclain-green-and-family