Driver who killed girl in school crosswalk had no ‘criminal intent,’ Texas DA says

Alexa Barrera was walking to school in October when her life was cut short by a driver who struck her with a car, the McClatchy News Group reported. The driver who struck Barrera will not face charges, however.

“After careful review of the facts and circumstances of the unfortunate accident, it is the decision of the office that the accident did not involve criminal intent,” El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza said in a statement to the El Paso Times.

Barrera, 7, and her 14-year-old sister were headed to school when they were struck in the school crosswalk by 26-year-old Marisol Cervantes, The Digital Wise said. The older sister was not seriously injured, authorities said.

Cervantes “was driving a 2015 GMC Yukon Denali, failed to yield the right of way to two pedestrians in a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Thorn Avenue and Ridge Road as she attempted to turn left on Thorn, according to a Texas Department of Transportation crash report,” obtained by the El Paso Times.

Cervantes told officials her vision was impaired because of the “sun was shining in her eyes the morning of Oct. 9, interfering with her vision at the time of the accident,” per The Digital Wise.

Barrera’s parents were informed of the decision by Esparza’s office, The Digital Wise reported, and the family “called on the public to respect the privacy of both their family and the Cervantes family, stating there had already been enough tragedy.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 5:44 PM.