Dad killed in ‘catastrophic’ crash with accused impaired driver, NM officials say
A woman accused in “a catastrophic head-on collision” that killed a 21-year-old father on his way to work was convicted after a trial in New Mexico, officials said.
An Otero County jury found 34-year-old Rebecca Herrera, from El Paso, Texas, guilty of vehicular homicide while driving while intoxicated, the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a July 1 news release.
McClatchy News reached out to Herrera’s attorney on July 1 and was awaiting a response.
She hit and killed Isaac Garcia on March 5, 2023, while he was heading to work at the Otero County Prison Facility, prosecutors said.
Garcia “was less than 2 miles from his workplace when his life was cut short,” according to prosecutors, who described him as “a beloved son, brother, partner, and father — a pillar of his family and community.”
His daughter was 3 when he was killed, prosecutors said.
The wreck happened at about 1:45 a.m., according to prosecutors.
“Herrera had been driving from a party on the west side of El Paso to an address on the east side when, due to her level of intoxication, she became disoriented and crossed into New Mexico,” prosecutors said.
Before the wreck, a 911 caller reported a wrong-way driver near the prison, according to prosecutors, who said Herrera reached 99 mph.
Minutes later, a sheriff’s deputy arrived to find the head-on wreck, prosecutors said.
“This crash caused a senseless and irreversible loss,” prosecutors said in the release, adding that the “tragedy should serve as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of impaired driving.”
Herrera, who was treated at a hospital after the wreck, faces as many as 18 years behind bars when she’s sentenced, prosecutors said.
Otero County is in southern New Mexico, near Texas.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Dad killed in ‘catastrophic’ crash with accused impaired driver, NM officials say."
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