CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — What started as a peaceful Saturday night in Downtown Corpus Christi ended in chaos for Jared Medina and his girlfriend when a speeding driver slammed into his vehicle before hitting a horse-drawn carriage.
The crash happened before 11pm, along North Shoreline Blvd., just feet from the Corpus Christi Bay. Medina, driving his new maroon Dodge Challenger, said he and his girlfriend were headed home when they noticed another vehicle speed near them. In a matter of seconds, they driver hit Medina.
“And then out of nowhere, the car shook up and we got hit from the back," Medina said.
Dashcam video sent to KRIS 6 News by a viewer shows the green car speeding before the impact. And sharing the road during the incident was the horse-drawn carriage. The video shows the driver swerving to the right before colliding with the carriage, causing it to flip over and throwing the carriage coachman onto the ground.
“At first he tail-whipped the back of my car," Medina said. "Whenever he was speeding off, he crashed into my car again on my right door. It was on my girlfriend’s side, so she took most of the force. Her shoulder was hurting a lot and I have a back injury from a previous accident, so this was not a good experience."
Medina said the most upsetting part was the driver’s lack of concern for the people involved.
“People make mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes here and there. But to be honest, the fact that he didn’t even care to stop and check on everybody, that’s what, to me, makes it messed up,” Medina added.
KRIS 6 News contacted Corpus Christi Carriages for an update on the carriage coachman and the horse. The company declined an interview but confirmed that both are doing fine.
The suspect also left behind a license plate. Corpus Christi Police has not caught the driver, but said they have Traffic Investigators following up on leads. There's also a possibility the suspected vehicle involved was stolen. CCPD's Auto Theft Division is participating in the investigation.
Medina said he hopes the person responsible is caught before another crash happens.
“There’s a lot of people on the road. There’s a lot of people that you’re putting in danger when you drive that way,” Medina emphasized.
KRIS 6 News also asked Corpus Christi Police how crashes like this influences how they're cracking down on speeding and reckless driving along N. Shoreline Blvd. The department said it will not be tolerated.
Anyone withinformation about the crash is asked to call the Traffic Division at 361-886-2596 or contact Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.p3tips.com.
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