Gregory Allen Smith, a 30-year-old man from Houston who was just released on bond from another DWI charge is now facing three charges of intoxicated manslaughter for the death of Piedad Romero, Diana Soriano-Escobar, and Ricardo Daniel Escobar, Jr. that occurred Wednesday, February 5. There are also reports that an 11-year-old girl was also in the vehicle but was thrown out of the vehicle, which may have been what saved her life.
Smith had been driving southbound on Antoine toward Sam Houston Parkway around 4 p.m. when he ran the red lights at the intersection, striking an oncoming SUV. The driver of that vehicle was taken to the hospital but was released that night without any major injuries.
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After striking the SUV, Smith’s vehicle then struck the full-sized van being driven by Piedad Romero causing it to spin and catch fire. The 11-year-old girl, who was later identified to be the sister of Soriano-Escobar, was ejected from the vehicle while the others were caught in it while it caught flames.
People tried to help the family by using fire extinguishers, but there was nothing that they could do to put out the fire to save them.
Smith was also injured in the accident and was taken to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The Deputy constables are keeping a close eye on him and when he is released, he will be taken into the custody of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for the accident.
This is not the first time that Smith has been in trouble with the law. He was arrested in July for a DWI offense in which he was currently out on bond. In 2018 he was arrested for exposing himself in the parking lot of a grocery store. Prior to that, he was charged with capital murder in Mississippi, but the charges were dismissed.
The police have not officially released the preliminary charges that will be filed against Smith once he is in custody. They are not speaking out on whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident. There was a passenger with Smith who was taken to the hospital, but he has not been charged with any crime in the accident but remains to be considered part of the investigation.
The 11-year-old girl who survived is still in the hospital receiving treatment.
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