HOUSTON – A man accused of causing a head-on crash Sunday by driving the wrong way on a Houston tollway and killing a Heights High School coach was charged in connection with the crash Monday, according to authorities.
Gerardo Gonzalez Luna, 51, was charged with intoxicated manslaughter and intoxicated assault in the crash that killed Adrian Byrd and injured Byrd’s wife, Veronnia.
Deputies said that around 1:30 a.m., a driver of a Ford F-150 was going the wrong way in the 10100 block of Sam Houston Tollway and crashed head-on into the Mercedes that Adrian Byrd was driving. The impact of the wreck caused the Mercedes to hit a Chevy 1500, according to deputies.
Adrian Byrd, 34, died at a hospital about two hours after the crash. His wife was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, deputies said. They said she suffered multiple broken bones and was last reported to be in a coma.
The crash caused the F-150 to catch fire, deputies said. They said Luna was still in the vehicle when deputies arrived, and was pulled from the burning vehicle.
Luna’s blood-alcohol level was three times above the legal limit, according to investigators. They said open beer containers were also found in his vehicle.
Deputies said Luna was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2009.
If convicted, Luna faces up to 30 years in prison.
The driver of the Chevy was not injured.
Byrd family mourns
“It’s hard. It’s really hard. You never, never, never would think that your child would leave before you,” Byrd's father Courtland Byrd said.
Courtland Bryd said Adrian and Veronnia were heading home from a friend's wedding when they were hit.
Adrian and Veronnia Byrd were high school sweethearts, his father said, and they have two children, ages 1 and 3.
“While we was waiting in the waiting room, the surgeon came to see us and he was with the chaplain. We knew. It’s one the hardest days of our life,” Courtland Bryd said. "Just to see my son for the last time, unzipping the body bag, that’s a memory I can’t erase off my face.”
Adrian Byrd was the head track coach and assistant football coach at Heights High School. His teams are left to practice without him.
“He would motivate us. (He was an) Inspiration, and he was a good coach. A very, very good coach and I hate that he’s gone,” one student said.
Houston Independent School District released the following statement:
"This is an incredibly sad day for Heights High School and all of HISD. We are sad to report that a Heights High School track coach died early Sunday morning. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this coach, as well as to the entire Heights High School community."
The district said counselors would be made available Monday at Heights High School to provide support for students and staff and answer questions.
