Arlington Police said a 75-year-old woman was killed after the the driver of another vehicle crashed into her truck on Monday morning. Police believe the man accused of crossing into the woman's lane was under the influence.
Police were called at 9:08 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20 to a crash in the 3900 block of West Division Street.
Investigators determined a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling in the westbound lanes of West Division Street when the driver crossed into the eastbound lanes of oncoming traffic and struck a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado.
The driver of the 2001 Silverado, Marianne Brown a Fort Worth resident, died at the scene, according to police
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The driver of the 2011 Silverado, 44-year-old Guerrero Madrid Salgado, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"This is a prime example of the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Especially at this time of the year. A crash like this affects both sides or one side more than the other, but on the the side of the deceased, instead of celebrating Thanksgiving they are now going to be planning for a funeral and on the other side, that family is going to be without a family member as well," said Lt. Brian Garcia with the Arlington Police Department
He said Investigators believe Salgado was intoxicated at the time of the crash based on evidence at the scene and after speaking with the suspect.
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The Arlington Police Department said a witness saw the suspected intoxicated driver throw beer cans out of the truck into a grassy area.
"DWIs can happen at all time of the day, but it is uncommon to have them so early in the morning. They do happen from time-to-time, we can only guess that somebody drank so much the night before and didn't have sufficient time to rest," said Garcia. "It takes hours for alcohol to leave the system. Some people just don't realize that and think that one or two hours of sleep or rest is enough, and in fact it's not and Monday's crash was an example of that."
Salgado remains in the hospital with injuries, but police said once he is cleared by medical staff, he will be booked into the Arlington City Jail on one count of intoxication manslaughter and one count of possession of controlled substance.
Material from inside the bed of the suspect's truck flew off and struck a 2012 Toyota Camry. The driver did not sustain any injuries and was released.
Arlington Police said they plan to step up patrols this holiday season since DWI offense increase this time of year.
"We have a specific DWI unit that it's going to be out there enforcing traffic laws. They are going to be looking for drunk drivers and for this holiday season, we're going to increase our manpower hours during those time periods to make the roadway safe for everybody," said Garcia. "If you are with people who are drinking, you should have somebody designated who's going to arrange for rides. And in today's time, it's even more easier by calling a taxi cab or using a rideshare service., and then if you're out on the roadways and you see somebody who's obviously intoxicated, call 911 and we'll get out there."
