CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Roxanne Palacios has pleaded guilty to all charges stemming from a wrong-way crash on the Harbor Bridge in November 2022 that claimed two lives and seriously injured another driver.
Palacios was indicted on two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault for the incident that occurred on November 2, 2022. The crash resulted in the deaths of San Patricio County dispatcher Betsy Mandujano and Navy Veteran Mathew Banda.
She was sentenced to seven years on each count to run concurrently and with credit for time served by 148th District Court Judge David Klein after the Nueces County District Attorney's Office asked Klein to approve a plea deal.
Family of Banda and Mandujao spoke during the hearing and said they agreed to the plea.
According to TABC reports, Palacios had been drinking extensively at a company party hosted by her employer, Flatiron-Dragados, at Railroad Seafood and Brewing Company. Surveillance video showed Palacios consuming eight drinks between 3:13 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the day of the crash.
Preliminary breath tests revealed Palacios had a blood alcohol content of 0.223, nearly three times the legal limit. A subsequent blood test two hours later still showed a BAC of 0.154, nearly twice the legal limit.
Police reports indicated that Palacios was traveling north in the southbound lanes of US Highway 181 when she crashed into two vehicles. The Corpus Christi Police Department determined she was "possibly under the influence of an intoxicating substance" at the time of the collision.
The TABC investigation found violations at the restaurant, issuing two citations for serving drinks to an intoxicated person and contributing to excessive drinking. Despite this, restaurant employees reported that they did not observe anyone appearing intoxicated during the party.
KRIS 6 News began investigating wrong-way Harbor Bridge crashes in November 2022, and that investigation revealed at least eight people had died due to wrong-way drivers.
Governor Abbott had criticized TxDOT's initial safety efforts as "inadequate," pushing for more urgent and effective solutions to prevent wrong-way driving. On March 14, after consultation with business leaders, city officials, and TxDOT, a plan was finalized to permanently close the Power Street and Padre Street exits.
A Wrong-Way Task Force was established in March 2023. The Department of Public Safety has troopers stationed at the only remaining exit around the clock and has increased enforcement in that area.
In December, DPS announced it had stopped 21 wrong-way drivers over a 21-month period.
This is a developing story, follow KRIS 6 News for updates.
