Plano drunk driving crash injures single mother just before school starts
PLANO, Texas - A North Texas student who was set to start her senior year of school this week has spent the past few days at her mother's bedside following a devastating crash.
Javiera Mellafe said her life changed around midnight Sunday because a suspected drunken driver rear-ended her mother.
Plano DWI Crash
What we know:
The crash happened near State Highway 121 and Independence Parkway in Plano.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 21-year-old Xander Jaymes Smith slammed into the back of Myrna Mellafe’s vehicle, causing it to roll.
Mellafe was ejected through the sunroof because of the impact. She was found unresponsive 40 feet away from the car.
As she was rushed to the hospital, Smith was arrested for intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury.
What they're saying:
Mellafe’s 17-year-old daughter said she found out about the crash after receiving an emergency notification from her mother’s phone.
Javiera Mellafe asked friends to drive her to the phone’s GPS location, which had not moved in more than 50 minutes. That’s where she found her mother’s car totaled.
"I think we got on the shoulder, and I just got out, and I immediately ran into the scene. I saw her car. Her car was complete loss, like just completely damaged," she said.
Myrna Mellafe had already been transported to Medical City McKinney with a brain bleed, a fractured pelvis, a fractured shoulder, and multiple organ injuries from the crash.
Her daughter recalled the solemn atmosphere at the hospital while waiting for updates.
"I remember like just the way they were looking at me and like speaking to me just seemed as if like they thought she was gonna die that night," she said.
What's next:
Javiera Mellafe will miss her first week of school but hopes her mother will be well enough that she can start her senior year on Monday.
She shared a positive update, stating that her mother opened her eyes today and has been talking.
Despite the tragedy, Javiera Mellafe shared complex feelings regarding the suspect.
"I was just so angry at first. I was just so confused because she was so close to coming home. It's like you hear about this stuff happening, but it's like I just never thought that it was happening to my mom," she said. "I was very angry at first, and then I just remember feeling very sad for him, because yeah, like his life is ruined."
The family is trying to raise funds to help cover medical and legal expenses.
"We need all the help we can get financially because she's a single mom and it's really just her and I," Javiera Mellafe said, adding that despite being overwhelmed, "I know she's gonna be okay."
The Source: FOX 4's Vania Castillo gathered the information for this story by interviewing the victim's daughter and from state troopers.