SAN ANTONIO – Peter Castillo, 58, of Floresville, died early Monday morning after his car was rear-ended on Highway 181 South near W. Laguna Road in South Bexar County, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
The crash also left a 7-year-old passenger in his car suffering from critical injuries.
James Keith, a spokesman for BCSO, said Castillo was behind the wheel of a Pontiac when a Mitsubishi, driven by a woman, slammed into it, causing it to roll over.
"The car that was hit ended up going into the median," Keith said. "We believe the driver who caused the accident was intoxicated. A blood draw did take place."
The woman also was given a field sobriety test. Keith said results of that test and the blood draw -- which will likely take several weeks, a Bexar County Sheriff's spokesman said -- would determine whether she would face criminal charges.
The crash also left a 7-year-old boy, a passenger in Castillo's car, suffering from life-threatening injuries.
However, Keith said, first responders did not realize right away that he was injured or even at the scene.
He said when the crash occurred, the child was ejected from the car and landed on the opposite side of a fence in some brush.
Someone later heard noises and found him, Keith said.
"These sort of scenarios, it's dark, it's chaotic," he said. "We are very fortunate that somebody heard that child and we were able to get to that child."
The boy was taken to a hospital by helicopter. As of 11 a.m., there was no update available on his condition.
Keith said this crash is an example of the downside of the holiday season, a scenario he hopes not to see too often this time around.
"We can't emphasize enough, don't drink and drive," he said. "This is a situation where we now have one person dead and a child injured."
Keith said sheriff's deputies will join other agencies throughout holiday season in stepping up enforcement aimed at drunken drivers.