TX-Conroe woman killed in crash with criminal alien

Posted on: Monday, July 27, 2009
Conroe woman killed in crash with criminal alien - ON SCENE VIDEO




By Jamie Nash

July 27, 2009

Another unlicensed, uninsured Hispanic immigrant killed a local woman and injured her child passenger between Conroe and Grangerland on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Some facts of the crash will likely anger already upset family and friends of another recent accident victim because of similar factors.


The crash occurred between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. on FM 3083 at Willis Waukegan Rd. (east side) and Texaco Rd. (west side) when a southbound Ford 150 pickup driven by 34-year-old Carlos Gomez-Solis of Conroe passed in a curve (a no passing zone) and collided head-on with a northbound Toyota Corolla driven by Dorothy Ann Gardner of Conroe, according Sgt. Terry Barnhill with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

After a lengthy extrication by the Grangerland Fire Department, medics transported Gardner to a nearby landing zone where a Life Flight air ambulance was to take her to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. However, she went into traumatic arrest while being loaded onto the helicopter. Medics transported Gardner to Conroe Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Her 9-year-old female passeng er was transported by ground ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston with non-life threatening injuries. Gomez-Solis was not injured.

DPS took Gomez-Solis into custody and transported him to Conroe Regional for a mandatory blood draw to determine whether he was intoxicated. He is charged with criminally negligent homicide, Barnhill said. Gomez-Solis' immigrant status was unknown as of this writing, but Barnhill said it would be checked when the suspect was booked into the Montgomery County Jail. That information will be updated when it is available.

Dorothy Garner would have turned 68 on Wednesday.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon responded to the scene personally, as part of his administration's policy of having a representative on the scene of fatalities that are expected to be the focus of a prosecution.

Ironically, Sunday's fatal crash occurred a few miles south of Thirsty's Ice House where a benefit was held on Saturday to assist Kathy Dahl with her husband Rex Dahl's funeral expenses. After Rex Dahl left the bar he and his wife owned last Saturday night, an unlicensed uninsured illegal Hispanic immigrant failed to yield the right of way, turning his passenger car in front of Dahl's motorcycle and causing the collision that killed Dahl. The other driver, 34-year-old Cesar Sanchez, fled on foot, but was soon arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide and failure to stop and render aid. An Immigration20and Customs Enforcement hold was placed on Sanchez meaning he will eventually be deported.

Some of those gathered at Thirsty's both after the funeral and at the fundraiser on Saturday wore t-shirts from a benefit last year with similar circumstances. The black shirts had large white blocks with black letters on the back that read, "Speak English."

Last month an intoxicated illegal immigrant struck a Montgomery County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle on SH 242, narrowly missing the deputy who was about to exit the vehicle.

Alfredo Ceron-Esquivel, 27, of New Waverly was charged with driving while intoxicated, accident involving damage to vehicle greater than $200 and a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on him.

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