Harlingen woman had 9 beers before fatal crash, docs show

MERCEDES, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A Harlingen woman told authorities she had nine beers before a crash that left a woman dead, a criminal complaint stated.

Imelda Velez was arrested on one count of intoxication manslaughter, according to Hidalgo County Jail records.

At 6:36 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2023, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on expressway IH-02 westbound, near exit ramp 163A in Mercedes. Upon arrival, he noted that a Dodge Ram had collided with a Ford Fusion. The trooper added the Ford Fusion had severe damage to its rear, and the road rail was also severely damaged.

The driver of the Ford Fusion, later identified as Velez, had already been transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center, where she was described to be in critical condition, the complaint stated.

The passenger of the Ford, identified as Vanessa Moreno, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Dodge Ram told authorities that he walked toward the Ford and noticed it smelled like alcohol, the complaint stated.

The trooper noted seeing broken glass bottles of Dos Equis in the trunk area, with three beer bottle caps inside Velez’s purse.

Later that night, the trooper followed up with Velez at the hospital, where she said she started drinking Thursday night at 9 p.m. until midnight and had consumed approximately nine Natural Light beers, the document adds.

Velez said she went to sleep around midnight until 2 a.m., but confirmed that fatigue “was not a factor in the crash.”

A doctor in the ICU told investigators that Velez’s alcohol level “was very high, almost in the 300s,” the complaint stated. A medical subpoena was requested, which showed Velez had an ethanol level of 282 mg/dL.

In Texas, the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, or 80 mg/dL.

The complaint states that there were no skid marks at the scene of the crash, and that Velez’s driving was consistent with someone trying to make a lane change.

“[Velez] changed lanes when unsafe, which led her to crash into the guard rail and later receive an impact from the rear from the [Dodge Ram,]” the complaint stated.

Velez was taken into custody and booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on April 26. Her bond was set at $1,000,000.

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