A Harris County court has accepted a plea deal from the driver who caused a deadly crash in Cypress, leaving three men dead and a community reeling. The collision happened in the early hours of August 2023, when a Cadillac slammed into a battery-powered golf cart. The driver pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 10 years of probation, as reported by Daily Record.
According to Daily Record, 21-year-old Daniel Rivera admitted the acts occurred on August 6, 2023. Under the plea, he was ordered to serve 150 days in jail, remain on probation for 10 years, is banned from driving for two years, and must pay restitution to the victims' families.
How the crash unfolded
The crash occurred in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 6, 2023, at Greenhouse Road and Towne Lake Parkway in the Towne Lake community of Cypress. Investigators say a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ran a stop sign and hit the golf cart as it turned left. Court filings cited by ABC13 indicate Rivera’s blood-alcohol level was 0.136%, and an 8-year-old child was inside the Escalade at the time.
The victims
The men killed in the golf cart were identified as Christopher Scandridge, 41; Jacob Wnuk, 37; and Fraser Anderson, 37, authorities said. An obituary notes Anderson was originally from Arbroath, Scotland, moved to the U.S. in 2015, and worked in River Oaks Country Club’s caddie program; he is survived by his wife, Gillian, and two young children, according to Dignity Memorial.
Legal fallout and civil claims
Rivera was initially arrested on three counts of murder with bond set at $600,000, according to local court records and news reports. The victims’ families later filed a wrongful-death lawsuit seeking more than $1 million, filings reviewed by Houston Public Media show.
What comes next
Under the plea, Rivera will serve 150 days in jail and then remain on supervised probation for a decade. Prosecutors warned that any probation violation could expose him to up to 10 years in prison. Daily Record reported the sentence, the driving ban, and the restitution orders. The case continues to move through post-plea proceedings in Harris County, while the families pursue civil claims and wait for the next round of court filings.
