TEXAS, USA — One teenage drunk driver's mistake has left a Central Texas mother in shambles.
It all happened on May 28, around 9 p.m. when Sanjuana Escalante was driving eight family members back home from a birthday party in San Antonio.
Escalante was only about five minutes from her home when tragedy struck. An 18-year-old drunk driver veered into her lane and hit her car head-on.
Escalante was found underneath the steering wheel with a broken leg and arm.
"She had internal bleeding," Escalante's daughter, Guadalupe Sarinana, said. "We didn't know if she was going to make it or not."
The family said witnesses told them the other driver was swerving before the crash.
"We got a call from a witness that week," Sarinana said. "They were almost hit by that same girl. She was supposed to get stopped then."
It's a miracle Escalante survived.
"It's literally like angels watching over everybody because those types of accidents, especially drunk accidents, are almost always fatal," Sarinana added.
The pain is still deep, and the road to recovery will be a long one.
"I'm literally not even 100% human anymore," Escalante said. "I can't even comb my hair for God's sake. I can't even pray."
That's why Sarinana is using her talents to raise money to help her mother with her recovery.
"I hate seeing her struggle right now because she was like the breadwinner in her relationship and in her household," Sarinana said. "She has a taco truck. She actually worked two jobs, so she would work literally nine in the morning till like literally four in the morning. We're just trying to gather up as much as we can."
On Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, Sarinana will be selling enchilada plates with rice, beans and soda for $12 as well as churro cheesecake slices and bites for $6.
"All we can do is keep trying to support my mom," Sarinana added. "At the end of the day, I'm glad she's alive. I just wish that that girl would have thought about her decisions more thoroughly."
The family is doing everything they can to put their best foot forward.
"I'm not going to give up," Escalante said. "I'm still going to keep going and keep going, being strong and, you know, do the best I can."
To place an order, contact 254-598-0498.
It could take Escalante another year and a half to fully recover from her injuries. Her goal is to get justice, get into full-time therapy and start walking again.
A GoFundMe link can be found here.
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