ABC-7 looks into DWI consequences following triple fatal car crash
The day after three young El Pasoans were killed in a fatal car crash on the far east part of town, ABC-7 is discussing the consequences of drinking while driving.
The crash had hundreds of people talking on the station’s social media pages.
Just before 2 a.m. Christmas Eve, a T-bone crash happened at the intersection of Joe Battle Boulevard and Vista Del Sol Drive. The father of two of the victims, Josh and Isaiah deal, told ABC-7 the third victim is his elder son’s girlfriend, Shannon Del Rio.
ABC-7 learned the suspect, 24-year-old Joel Garcia, is a local professional boxer. We reached out to another local man with not only a boxing history, but driving while intoxicated convictions in the past.
“I’m not judging him,” Herman Delgado said about Garcia. “People get behind the wheel after drinking and they don’t think. It’s unfortunate that maybe there’s somebody that should have stopped him. He should have stopped himself. You gotta take responsibility for what you do.”
Delgado has been boxing for nearly 40 years. When he heard up-and-coming professional boxer Garcia was allegedly behind the wheel while drunk and caused a crash that took the lives of three young El Pasoans, he was in total shock.
On Christmas Day few remnants remained at the scene. However, a small Christmas memorial sat to honor the Deal brothers and 22-year-old Del Rio.
“He needs counseling. He needs help. That’s the only thing I can tell him,” Delgado said. He doesn’t believe a first time driving while intoxicated offense can ruin a boxer’s career, but he said repeated offenses and being convicted on three counts of intoxicated manslaughter might. Delgado is an advocate for stiffer penalties for DWIs.
“What turned my while life around is I have a little girl. I never wanted her to be around that or have to suffer the consequences of a DWI,” Delgado said.
ABC-7 has also been covering the recent cases pending against local boxer Antonio Escalante. Escalante has plead guilty to two of three counts of DWI from three separate incidents this year.
El Paso police said Garcia and his passenger, 24-year-old Enrique Gaurin, only suffered minor injuries in the crash.
There are resources out there to prevent drunk driving. No DUI El Paso is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers who will give you a ride home from a bar and they’ll also take your car home that night as well. The city of El Paso awarded them about $2,500 in red light camera revenue this month and Mayor Oscar Leeser donated his salary this month to the organization, as well. The service runs on the weekend and the number is 877-366-7604.
