By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
A McAllen man, the company he is employed by and two South Padre Island bars are being sued by the father of the deceased victim of a wrong-way crash on the Queen Isabella Causeway which occurred earlier
this year.
Hugo Lara of Hidalgo County was driving a company vehicle owned by Camelot Designs & Construction when he caused the fatal accident on June 2, 2024. The victim, 20-year-old Mariah Desiree Enriquez, was
celebrating her graduation, as reported by local news sources.
According to the amended court petition, Lara was on the Island to celebrate an employee’s 43rd birthday. The employee, Atanacio Salinas, had rented a two-bedroom condominium at Saida Towers, and invited Lara
to join him for the weekend.
The petition states that Salinas arrived on the Island at 5 p.m. after purchasing a large bottle of vodka from Holiday Wine and Liquor in Weslaco. A Facebook post showed Salinas inviting people to join his
celebration at Saida Towers, according to the petition.
An hour later, at 6 p.m., the petition states Lara arrived on the Island and allegedly went directly to Bar Louie at the Marriott, operated by Defendant Modern Foodservice, LLC. According to the petition, Lara had
allegedly texted Salinas that he was already “lit.” Salinas joined Lara at Bar Louie by approximately 8 p.m. where Lara was observed drinking whiskey. The two allegedly drank at the bar for the next hour to an hour
and a half. The petition alleges that no Bar Louie staff attempted to cut the two off. The two left the bar at 9:30 p.m.
According to the petition, following their departure from Bar Louie, Lara allegedly drove himself and Salinas to Tequila Sunset Bar & Grill, operated by defendant Fired Up SPI. There, Lara consumed multiple
tequila and club soda mixed drinks from 9:30 p.m. until at least 12:30 a.m. The petition states that Lara was observed dancing at the bar and allegedly becoming increasingly more intoxicated as the night went on.
Salinas left Tequila Sunset earlier, at approximately 11:30 p.m.
The petition states that Lara called Salinas at 12:30 a.m., to tell him he was leaving the bar, and Salinas allegedly attempted to send a Lyft to pick him up but was unsuccessful in locating him.
At approximately 1:45 a.m., in his 2023 Ford-150, Lara was allegedly drunk driving westbound in the eastbound lane of the Queen Isabella Causeway. He collided head-on with Mariah Enriquez’s 2008 Kia
Passenger. She survived the initial collision but soon after succumbed to her injuries and passed away at the scene. Lara was arrested and charged with Intoxication Manslaughter, a second-degree felony. He was
indicted in Cameron County on Aug. 21.
The temporary restraining order filed against Tequila Sunset and Bar Louie requests that the establishments preserve all video surveillance footage from when Lara was present that night, as well as sales records and
employee information for staff working at the time. This includes timecards and clock in/clock out records, shift schedules, personnel files, training records related to alcohol service, and disciplinary records.
The plaintiff, Mariah Enriquez’s aforementioned father, Guadalupe Enriquez Jr, is seeking monetary relief of over $1,000,000.
The jury demand aims to set an expedited trial for the first week of March 2025, immediately preceding Spring Break, to address public safety issues affecting the local community, including drunk driving and
alcoholic overservice by bars. The motion alleges that a verdict at the start of this period could immediately influence local bars’ practices, raise drunk driving risk awareness among incoming tourists and provide an
economic incentive for businesses to prioritize safety.
According to the motion, a jury in West Texas, Ector County, recently issued a verdict of over $260 million in damages against a bar and a drunk driver in a similar fatal tragedy.
The PRESS attempted to reach out to the defendants and their legal counsel, but no response was received as of the time of publication.
All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.