Valley woman fights for life after suspected DUI crash on Mother’s Day

PEORIA, Ariz. — A Valley woman is fighting for her life after being struck by a suspected drunk driver in a head-on crash on Mother’s Day.

“I would trade places with her 100 times over and over. I would for sure in a heartbeat take her spot right now so she didn’t have to go through that,” Brian Salinas, her boyfriend, said.

Salinas, who was also seriously injured in the crash, told 12News he’s suffering both physical and mental pain as he begins his recovery at home and his girlfriend, Abrielle Lopez, remains hospitalized.

“It kills me, not only that, but to see her family going through that, you know it hurts because I feel their pain,” Salinas said.

The crash happened on May 11 near the intersection of 107th and Northern avenues.

“I just remember hitting my driver and his passenger side and then after that I went unconscious for a few minutes,” Salinas said. 

Salinas suffered a long list of injuries. 

“Broken knee, broken femur, fractured ankle. I ripped all the ligaments in my left knee, dislocated my thumb. I have five fractured ribs, a punctured lung, three fractured disks in my back,” Salinas said.

As did Lopez, who has been in a medically induced coma since the night of the accident.

“The physical pain doesn’t come anywhere near the pain I feel in my heart to see her, you know, in those conditions hooked up to all those machines, just absolutely fighting for her life,” Salinas said. 

Lopez is a certified nursing assistant at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, while also studying to become a registered nurse and raising her three-year-old daughter. 

“It’s hard, you know,w to know that her daughter has no idea what’s going on,” Salinas said. “For that to happen on Mother’s Day, we were just lucky her daughter was not in that car with us.”

Peoria police said a man was initially arrested for DUI but no charges have been filed as detectives wait for lab work to be processed. A spokesperson confirmed the man was also driving on a canceled license. 

“He decided to make that decision. Now he should pay the price,” Salinas said.

Salinas wants justice for himself and his girlfriend, but more than anything, he said he wants people to think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“Have a ride set in place, an Uber, a friend that doesn’t drink. Stay where you’re going to be. Get yourself sober before you leave, I mean, it’s possible,” Salinas said. 

Both Salinas and Lopez are expected to be out of work for several months as they heal from their injuries. A GoFundMe page was created to help pay for medical and household bills during that time. Click here to donate.