HOUSTON – A child is in critical condition and a teen is facing serious charges after driving while intoxicated and causing a grisly crash, deputies said. Kevin Lozano, 18, appeared in court Monday night.
The crash happened around 9:22 p.m. Sunday on Highway 6 near Pavilion Point in southwest Harris County, authorities said.
Recommended Videos
Deputies said a black Nissan Maxima was headed southbound in the left turn lane when the driver failed to yield right of way and turned in front of a black Honda Accord that was heading the opposite direction. According to PC court video, Lozano fled the scene but later returned.
Lozano and the 26-year-old woman in the passenger side suffered a broken leg and the woman’s 7-year-old child, who was unrestrained in the backseat, suffered facial, skull and basal fractures.
Both the mother and child were flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where the child remains in critical condition. The two people in the Honda were taken by ground to Memorial Hermann in Katy and are expected to be OK.
Teare said Lozano admitted to drinking before the accident and was more than twice over the legal limit for drinking aged adults. He was charged with four counts of intoxication assault and four counts of failure to stop and render aid. If the child dies, one of the assault charges could be upgraded to felony murder because of the child’s age.
“Make no mistake, this 18-year-old is going to face every single charge and the full punishment that we can access,” Teare said.
According to Teare, authorities believe they know where Lozano was drinking, and they will be conducting an investigation.
“We’re going to charge every single person we can in this chain,” Teare said. “This isn’t acceptable. This is the kind of thing that I’ve been talking about and our concern as we started to open up…We’re talking about a 7-year-old who may not make it to tomorrow.”
Teare also said they will be investigating the child’s mother to see if Child Protective Services needs to get involved.