Dad, son killed in alleged DWI wreck; wife, toddler injured

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The man behind the wheel of a pickup that crashed into a Suburban early Saturday morning, killing a father and son, admits to drinking before the crash.

The pickup crashed into the Suburban at West Road and the North Freeway. Juan Alvarez and his 10-year-old son, Juan Jr., were killed. His wife, Elizabeth Alvarez, and his three-year-old son, Ian, were injured.

"We have witnesses that were stopped at the red light southbound on I-45. They say the driver of the Chevy pickup truck drove at a high rate of speed, ran the red light at the intersection and struck that Suburban on the passenger side," says Sgt. S. Wolverton with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Wolverton says that driver was drunk. He's charged with intoxicated manslaughter. His name is Jose Rivera and he made his first appearance in court Saturday afternoon.

"The defendant had bloodshot eyes, poor balance and admitted to consuming 16 Bud Lights," a prosecutor told the judge.

The two survivors were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. But the life they're going to have when they go home will be much different, knowing that in just a matter of seconds, their family was cut in half.

"You've got good people, a family who have now -- everything has been ruined because somebody chose to drink and drive," says Warren Diepraam with the Waller County District Attorney's Office.

Diepraam says people caught driving drunk often get a slap on the wrist.

"I think in cases like this, sometimes a lot of juries feel sympathetic for the person who's accused because they are good people who made poor choices, as a general rule. So they get fairly lenient sentences in some of our jurisdictions," he said.

He hopes this time is different.

Rivera is also charged with intoxicated assault.