The parents of a 20-year-old San Antonio man are taking a Northwest Side car dealer to court after what was supposed to be a normal night out ended in tragedy. Their son died of carbon monoxide poisoning just days after buying a used Ford Mustang, and his girlfriend was left fighting for her life in a hospital. Now the family is asking a Bexar County judge for both damages and answers, claiming the car’s exhaust system let lethal fumes seep into the cabin.
According to the wrongful-death complaint, Jesus Marines bought a 2020 Ford Mustang on Jan. 17 for about $36,000 from A Motors Sales & Finance at the Loop 1604 and Braun Road location. Nine days later, he and his girlfriend drove to Comanche Lookout Park and sat in the idling vehicle. Around 1 a.m. on Jan. 27, a San Antonio police officer found both of them unconscious inside the Mustang. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled Marines’ death an accident caused by acute carbon monoxide poisoning. His girlfriend regained consciousness two days later after treatment, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Brooke Army Medical Center. The complaint, filed by Marines’ parents and his girlfriend, seeks more than $1 million in damages, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
What the law allows
The lawsuit accuses the dealer of negligence, fraud and violations of Texas consumer law. The family’s lawyers are leaning on the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which gives consumers a way to challenge deceptive or unconscionable business practices. Depending on what a court finds, that law can allow recovery of actual damages, attorney fees and, in some cases, additional damages for knowing violations. The state’s consumer-protection pages spell out how these claims usually take shape in civil court, from initial filings to potential remedies, as outlined by the Texas Attorney General.
Plaintiffs’ experts and the dealer’s response
Experts hired by the plaintiffs examined the Mustang and, according to the lawsuit, discovered the catalytic converter was missing. The complaint argues that this condition allowed exhaust to bypass emissions controls and enter the passenger compartment. It also says the vehicle’s previous owner denied making any such modifications. The suit names A Motors Sales & Finance LLC as the seller. A Motors’ own site lists a Loop 1604 dealership at 10110 West Loop 1604 N, confirmed on the company’s A Motors Sales & Finance LLC hours-and-directions page, while a company representative declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Carbon monoxide risk and treatment
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can quietly turn deadly in a matter of minutes at high levels. Symptoms often start with headache, dizziness and confusion before progressing to loss of consciousness and death. Health officials warn that exhaust leaks, long periods of idling and blocked exhaust outlets can let carbon monoxide build up to dangerous concentrations inside a vehicle. In serious cases, doctors may use hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of emergency treatment. The CDC provides detailed guidance on symptoms, prevention and clinical care for carbon monoxide poisoning.
What comes next
The wrongful-death case now heads into the civil court process, where both sides will dig into evidence through discovery, expert testing and, potentially, settlement talks before a trial date is ever set. The family is seeking compensation for medical bills, lost earning capacity and the loss of their son’s life. Available remedies in consumer-protection disputes, including what plaintiffs might recover if they prove a violation, are laid out on the Texas Attorney General consumer pages.
For now, the Marines family has turned its grief into a legal fight, asking a Bexar County court to decide whether the dealership should be held financially responsible. The case remains pending, and future court filings will determine whether it ends quietly in a settlement or heads to a public showdown at trial.
