A Texas soldier’s alleged drunk driving left an engaged couple dead in a horrific car crash.
Juan Francisco Del Valle Ferrer, 23, told police he had ‘a lot’ of alcohol at a gender reveal party before the fatal collision that killed Dalia Olivas, 28, and her fiancé, Rick Ballard, 29.
The couple was driving in east El Paso when Del Valle Ferrer slammed his Honda HR-V into their Mercedes, causing their car to spin out of control and crash into a pole on Saturday night at 11.37pm.
Ballard was ejected from the car, but his right leg was severed off and still inside the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Olivas died after she was taken to the hospital.
Dalia Olivas, 28, and her fiancé, Rick Ballard, 29 were killed by a drunk driver on Saturday night
Juan Francisco Del Valle Ferrer, 23, was drunk driving home from a gender reveal party when he crashed into the couple
Del Valle Ferrer’s condition is unknown, but the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said everyone involved suffered from ‘serious injuries.’
When police arrived at the gory scene, they noticed the Army member smelled like alcohol and saw he was still wearing a blue wristband from the party, according to the affidavit obtained by KFOX14.
Fort Bliss Army base officials identified Del Valle Ferrer as one of their own on Wednesday.
‘The Fort Bliss leadership is deeply saddened by this tragedy and its impact on the El Paso community,’ Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor said in a statement.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those involved in the accident.’
Diana Villalobos, Olivas’ sister, wrote on a GoFundMe page: ‘Dalia was taken from us in a devastating accident at the intersection of Rojas and Eastlake. She was full of life and had a heart of gold, touching everyone around her.’
Olivas and Ballard were planning on getting married and starting their life together in Florida, ABC7 reported.
Ballard and Olivas were engaged and planning on starting their life together in Florida
Olivas was a high school English teacher and recently left her position because of her plans to marry and move in with Ballard
The bride-to-be was a high school English teacher who recently left her position because of her moving plans.
Ballard had already moved to Florida, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his sister, Vivian McCandless.
He grew up in El Paso and returned to visit Olivas and his other loved ones when he died.
After graduating high school, Ballard joined the Navy and traveled the world. McCandless wrote he was ‘working hard to build a life for himself.’
The GoFundMe pages have raised over $15,000 each.
Del Valle Ferrer has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and will be arrested after he is released from the hospital.
Police arrived at the scene of the gut-wrenching crash, in which Ballard’s leg was severed off
Ballard had moved to Florida, but came back to El Paso to visit Olivas on the day they were killed
After the senseless deaths, Taylor said the Fort Bliss Army post is ‘committed to a robust driver education program focused on responsible driving habits that begins the first week Soldiers arrive to Fort Bliss.’
He added: ‘We will continue frequent safety checks across the installation to encourage safe driving practices and promote ridesharing opportunities.
‘We remain engaged with community leaders and local law enforcement to improve the safety of the Fort Bliss and El Paso communities.’
