A driver suspected of being intoxicated slammed into the back of a vehicle stopped at a red light on San Antonio's Northwest Side late Saturday night, sending three people to the hospital and landing behind bars on a felony charge. The crash happened around 11:01 p.m. in the 14000 block of FM 1560 North, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
The striking vehicle hit the stopped car from behind at high speed, according to SAPD, as reported by WOAI. Both the driver who struck the vehicle and the driver and passenger in the stopped car were injured in the collision, and all three were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police determined that the driver who caused the crash was intoxicated, according to SAPD, and that driver was taken into custody on an intoxication assault charge. Under Texas Penal Code § 49.07, intoxication assault becomes a third-degree felony when an intoxicated driver operating a vehicle in a public place causes serious bodily injury to someone else, a legal threshold defined as physical harm creating a substantial risk of death or causing serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily member or organ, per FindLaw.
A Felony With Steep Legal Stakes
A third-degree felony conviction in Texas carries a statutory penalty of two to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. Texas law also bars deferred adjudication for intoxication assault charges, and even when a judge grants community supervision, state law mandates a minimum of 30 days in jail as a condition of probation, per the Texas Criminal Defense Group.
It remains unclear whether blood-alcohol test results have been finalized or whether additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues. SAPD has not released the suspect's name or booking status as of publication.
A Dangerous Stretch of Roadway
FM 1560 North, which connects major routes including Loop 1604, Culebra Road and Bandera Road near Helotes, has been flagged by local transportation safety analyses as a high-volume corridor where rapid residential growth and stop-and-go congestion elevate the risk of rear-end and high-speed collisions, according to Carabin Shaw. Bexar County's Comprehensive Safety Action Plan has specifically designated FM 1560 North as a high-priority corridor for regional safety oversight and targeted infrastructure investment.
The Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has approved a $54.1 million project to widen FM 1560 from two to four lanes, adding turn lanes, sidewalks and bike accommodations between Galm/Shaenfield Road and SH 16, as part of its 2023-2026 program. The project reflects growing concern that the corridor's rapid suburban expansion has outpaced its road capacity.
Part Of A Broader Pattern On Bexar County Roads
The Saturday-night timing of the crash fits a broader pattern tracked by state transportation officials. TxDOT traffic safety data shows that fatal impaired-driving crashes in Texas spike most sharply during late-night and early-morning weekend hours, particularly between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Alcohol-related crashes killed 72 people across San Antonio and Bexar County in 2024, according to TxDOT data reported by KSAT. Statewide, 1,053 people died in alcohol-related crashes that same year, with impaired driving contributing to more than 37 percent of all Texas traffic fatalities between 2014 and 2023, per the Texas Department of Transportation. Even as total traffic deaths statewide fell to 3,809 in 2025, an 8 percent drop continuing a post-2021 decline, impaired driving remains a leading cause of the state's most severe crashes, according to Angel Reyes & Associates.
The Saturday crash adds to a string of recent intoxication assault cases across the San Antonio area. Hoodline has reported on a cyclist hurt on FM 78 in Converse, a Del Rio driver who refused a blood test after a Highway 90 crash, a West Side collision that hospitalized three children, and a downtown crash that sent two men to local hospitals — all within the past several months.
