Driver gets 50 years in prison for deadly wreck

Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Teen crash survivor speaks out to driver
She's the sole survivor of her family, after a drunk driver going the wrong way slammed into their vehicle

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- She forgives but won't forget.

Stephanie Guzman, 16, is the lone survivor from a horrific wreck in June of last year in which her mother, father, two sisters and younger brother were killed. That took place on the North Beltway near Wilson Road. Investigators say Efraim Carmona had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when he crashed his flatbed truck into the family's F-150. His intoxication manslaughter trial was to begin but he accepted a plea deal Tuesday morning which sentences him to a total of 50 years in prison.

"I forgive him. Why? Because I'm really not God. The one that he needs to say sorry to... is for God, not for me," said Guzman.

Had Carmona gone to trial and been convicted he could have been sentenced to as much as 110 years in prison, according to prosecutor Alison Baimbridge.

Guzman asked Carmona to look at pictures of her deceased family members as she talked about them in court. He seemed to wipe away tears as he did.

Guzman can only walk now about 70 feet at a time, according to prosecutors. She gets around using a wheelchair and has scars on her face that remind her of that tragic night. But she is thankful she survived and thankful for the family which she still has.

Carmona wrote a handwritten letter to Guzman which attorneys delivered to her after she spoke in court. In it, he called himself an alcoholic, apologizing to her and saying he would take back his actions that night if he could.

Carmona must serve at least 25 years in prison before he can even be considered for parole.