NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Julian Lucas Garcia, 33, was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted on multiple counts related to an ATV crash. Officials say on July 4, 2019, on the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Garcia, a non-Indian, was driving an ATV without headlights in dark conditions through an area crowded with people who were waiting to watch Fourth of July fireworks. He hit a woman who was crossing the road.
The collision threw her into the and 69 feet down the road. She was seriously injured and suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, and a knee injury that required a skin graft. She was flown to the hospital and had multiple surgeries and months of treatment. She died in November 2021.
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Witnesses and police say Garcia smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated. While being questioned, he refused to provide a blood alcohol sample.
Garcia was convicted on one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of operating an off-highway vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs resulting in bodily injury, and one count of operating an off-highway vehicle on a paved road resulting in bodily injury.
After he is released from prison, Garcia will have three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and pay $7,570 in restitution.