A 50-year-old woman died after she was hit by a man allegedly speeding through the intersection.
SAN ANTONIO — A 30-year-old man is accused of speeding and driving recklessly when he rammed into a vehicle in northwest San Antonio last month, killing a 50-year-old woman riding inside.
Jackson Pope Spalten faces a manslaughter charge and was taken into custody Monday, having been briefly hospitalized as a result of the May 2 crash that unfolded near Harry Wurzbach and Dalewood, just off Loop 410.
According to an arrest affidavit, Spalten was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck near the intersection when he crossed the solid white line to move from a turn-only lane to the straight-only lane, “which is a traffic violation less than 100 feet of the intersection.” The driver of a Toyota Tacoma “did not have enough time to see the defendant coming through the intersection prior to making his left turn,” resulting in the collision.
Spalten’s truck crashed into the right side of the Tacoma, which Nayda Linette Velez De Guijarro was riding in. San Antonio police officials at the time said the crash created so much force it caused both vehicles to careen off the road.
Authorities pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
Investigators discovered Spalten’s dash camera captured the collision, according to records, and he was found to have been going 74 mph in the 45 mph zone just seconds before driving into the Tacoma.
“The circumstances of the crash from statements taken from witnesses indicated the defendant was reckless, resulting in the death of the victim,” the affidavit says.
Spalten was jailed on a $100,000 bond, which he has already made, according to online court records. He also has a history of traffic-related crimes, including speeding, improper turns and not providing his driver’s license upon request.