Man Charged After Red-Light Wreck Forces Pregnant Woman Into Labor and Miscarriage

According to Bexar County Sheriff’s office, the collision occurred on the night of February 19 at the intersection of Woodlake Parkway and Binz Engleman Road in San Antonio.

“What happened is the suspect in this case disregarded a red light and struck another vehicle,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a video posted on the department's official Facebook page. The vehicle that Mendoza crashed into had a pregnant woman in the driver's seat.

The authorities obtained a warrant for Mendoza's arrest on February 24. Salazar identified Mendoza as a civilian employee at one of the nearby military bases.

The sheriff said that investigators were still waiting on the results from the “intoxilyzer,’ a machine that uses infrared light absorption to measure breath alcohol content for evidentiary purposes. If the results show that Mendoza had more than the legally permissible amount of alcohol at the time of the crash, he could face an additional charge of intoxication manslaughter in connection with the unborn child’s death.

A probable cause affidavit obtained by CBS-affiliated KENS provides additional details about the fatal collision. The affidavit alleges that around 9:30 p.m. on February 19, Mendoza was driving 75 mph in a 40 mph zone when he ran a red light causing a crash involving four cars, one of which was being driven by the pregnant woman.

Medics rushed the victim to a nearby hospital where she underwent emergency surgery but lost the child.

Authorities at the scene reported that Mendoza had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, and was slurring his words. An open bottle of beer with alcohol remaining inside was found on the floor of the front passenger seat.

The authorities emphasized that the investigation in the crash is ongoing.