Driver in Christmas Eve head-on was drunk and high. Victim says she can’t forgive him

A woman severely injured in a 2018 head-on crash said she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to forgive the driver who was drunk and high.

Rebecca “Becki” Maloy, her nephew and her two dogs almost died that Christmas Eve morning when David Enriquez fell asleep behind the wheel of his car.

The now-35-year-old Grandview man drank “some beer earlier in the day” and took some “oxys” — the potent pain medication oxycodone — according to court documents.

His SUV hit Maloy’s 1996 Ford Mustang on Wine Country Road near Prosser after drifting into her lane.

It took firefighters and paramedics more than an hour to get Maloy out of her crumpled car because the bottom half of the dashboard trapped her legs. She then spent hours in surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation and time away from work while she recovered.

Enriquez pleaded guilty in October to felony vehicular assault while operating a vehicle under the influence..

He was ordered last week to spend one year and four months in a state prison.

The sentence — recommended by both prosecutors and the defense — is just one month shy of the top of the standard range for the crime.

Enriquez apologized for his actions on Dec. 24, 2018, during the sentencing hearing in Benton County Superior Court.

Asleep in patrol car

He told Benton County sheriff’s deputies that morning that he was on his way home from a doctor’s appointment at Prosser Memorial Health. He would not say how many beers he had that morning, but admitted taking the powerful pain medication before his appointment.

Deputies noted his eyes appeared glassy and droopy. He refused to participate in field sobriety tests and stopped speaking with deputies, court documents said.

Enriquez was driven to Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick for blood work. On the drive, he “fell sound asleep and was snoring in the back of (the deputy’s) patrol vehicle,” documents said.

Meanwhile, Yakima County and Prosser firefighters continued working to get access to Maloy inside her Mustang.

A witness had reported seeing Enriquez’s SUV drift into oncoming traffic on Highway 12/Wine Country Road, between Grandview and Prosser.

The SUV remained in the opposite lane for about 30 seconds before smashing into the Mustang.

Maloy said she was taking her nephew to a doctor’s appointment when they were hit. It’s not clear if her nephew or dogs suffered any injuries.

The Grandview woman was left with several broken bones, including compound fractures in both legs. Two orthopedic surgery teams worked on her legs at the same time for seven hours.

She also suffered a dislocated hip, a fractured pelvis and a scalp laceration.

Maloy said she was bedridden for 6 1/2 weeks, then had three months at a rehab center to get round-the-clock care and eventually had to learn how to walk again.

She was out of work from her two jobs for six months, and had to rely on family and friends for transportation and help with her personal bills since she had no more income and her Mustang was demolished.

She had been the sole source of support for herself, her sister and her nephew. A GoFundMe account raised less than $1,200.

Maloy said her letter to the court for Enriquez’s sentencing “does not express what this past year of suffering and pain has done to me both mentally and physically.”

“It is hard for me to put in writing what I am truly feeling,” she continued. “I don’t know if, or when, I will be able to forgive you for what you did to me and my family with your decision to drink and drive while also under the influence of drugs.”

Maloy wrote that she still is not physically healed from her injuries, and requires physical therapy two days a week for up to two hours each. She no longer uses a cane to walk, but is left with a permanent limp and her legs and knees hurt if she is on her feet for too long.

“I will suffer from the effects of my injuries for the rest of my life,” she said.

Enriquez’s driver’s license will be revoked by the state as a result of the felony conviction involving the use of a vehicle.

After his release from prison, he will be on community supervision for 1 1/2 years. During that time, he will have to undergo an evaluation for treatment for substance abuse.

Enriquez’s criminal history includes a reckless driving in 2003 and two DUIs, one in 2008 and the second in 2010.

This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.