Woman Charged in Harris County Crash That Killed Deputy

A woman has been charged in connection with a Harris County crash that resulted in the death of a Sheriff’s Office deputy. The accident happened when the woman charged in the crash ran a red light.

According to the details made available by the Brazoria County court records, the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, February 9. She was identified as Floribeth Sandoval-Benjume, 40, of Pearland. The deputy who lost his life in the accident was off-duty at the time and was identified as Bruce Watson.

The Harris County crash itself occurred more than a month ago on January 2. Watson was returning home from a funeral escort and was riding his motorcycle. Sandoval-Benjume was waiting for the light to turn green at an intersection. She was traveling in the northbound lanes of Kingsley Drive at Shadow Creek Parkway. Her vehicle was third in line while waiting at the signal.

Sandoval-Benjume initially claimed that she tried to turn left on a green signal when the accident occurred. However, a review of the surveillance footage from the scene revealed that the signal was still red when Sandoval-Benjume drove around the two vehicles in front of her. She momentarily stopped at the crosswalk and then drove into the intersection.

Deputy Watson was traveling westbound along the Shadow Creek Parkway. He was in the process of negotiating a left turn on a green signal. It was then that Sandoval-Benjume crashed into Watson’s motorcycle. Watson fell onto a pavement due to the impact of the collision and sustained critical injuries. He was flown to an area hospital for emergency treatment but he succumbed to his injuries and died.

Sandoval-Benjume’s vehicle veered away from the road and into a pole after the collision. She remained under treatment at a hospital after the crash. Sandoval-Benjume has now been charged with manslaughter and her bond is set at $600,000.

If you’re involved in a wreck, contact our Texas car accident attorneys right away.

Source: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Police-Pearland-woman-ran-red-light-prior-to-15940605.php#photo-20595263