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A Portola Valley man accused of crashing his pickup truck while intoxicated April 1, killing one of his passengers and critically injuring another, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him April 5 in San Mateo County Superior Court.
According to prosecutors, Ignacio Hernandez Flores, 27, of Portola Valley, admitted to drinking 12 beers prior to flipping his white Ford pickup truck near the intersection of Portola and Family Farm roads and slamming into a tree. The accident occurred around 12:40 a.m., according to investigators.
Sheriff’s deputies, along with units from the Woodside and Menlo Park fire districts, responded to the crash and found the truck’s three occupants trapped inside, said Lt. Lisa Williams of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
The three lived and worked at Spring Down Equestrian Center, about 1.5 miles from the crash site, where the three were horse groomers, said Lt. Ken Jones of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Marco Hernandez-Lopez, 27, of Portola Valley, was found in the front passenger seat of the pickup and pronounced dead at the scene.
Emergency personnel had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate all three people in the vehicle, including Mr. Flores and another passenger, who was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Lt. Williams.
The second passenger, Eduardo Bello Lucatero, 29, suffered a ruptured bladder and multiple leg fractures, and is expected to survive, according to the district attorney’s office.
Mr. Flores was treated for a fractured rib and a broken wrist, before being arrested, Lt. Williams said.
Mr. Flores, who lives on Portola Road, faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the district attorney’s office reported.
Appearing April 5 in court with his arm in a cast, Mr. Flores told a judge through a Spanish-speaking interpreter that he was unable to hire a private attorney. Mr. Flores was given a court-appointed attorney by the judge. Bail was set at $750,000 and his preliminary hearing was set for April 18.
