EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Survivors and families affected by a hit-and-run fatal crash that occurred in 2023 in Chaparral, New Mexico, were awarded a $190 million verdict by a Santa Fe jury on Tuesday, April 22, Glasheen, Valles & Inderman Injury Lawyers announced in a news release.
As we previously reported, in January 2023, Jose Marrero, 20, and Desiree Seanez, 20, were both killed in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 213 in Chaparral.
The crash occurred when James Patrick Woods was driving north on Highway 213 at a high rate of speed when he crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a vehicle, which Marrero was driving, and Seanez was a passenger in. Woods’ vehicle then went airborne and struck the third vehicle head-on, according to an affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Woods then fled the scene on foot and was later located. Deputies said they located an open bottle of Fireball, an alcoholic beverage, on the floor where Woods’ vehicle rolled over.
Woods was then charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle, failure to render aid, resisting and evading arrest, immediate notice of an accident, and open container.
According to the law firm, the jury determined that Woods was acting within the course and scope of his employment at the time of the crash.
“The jury also concluded that the parent company of the defendant home builder was the employer of the drunk driver, despite attempts to shift liability to a smaller subsidiary,” read the news release by the law firm.
“This verdict sends a strong message that companies cannot avoid accountability by hiding
behind corporate structures,” said Noe Valles of Glasheen, Valles & Inderman Injury Lawyers,
one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. “Our clients have endured unimaginable loss, and this
decision reflects the severity of the wrongdoing and the need for corporate responsibility.”
According to the law firm, “the jury’s decision provides justice to the families and highlights the dangers of impaired driving, particularly when it intersects with corporate negligence.”
In addition, a press conference was held on Thursday morning at Glasheen, Valles & Inderman Injury Lawyers, 1101 Montana Ave., where attorneys Noe Valles and Laney Piercy, along with the families of the victims, were present to discuss the new verdict.
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