RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - A Columbia, Tennessee man who collided head-on with another driver while traveling down Highway 231 North near the York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro remains incarcerated as his case progresses in the Rutherford County Judicial System.
Weather is one of the many factors examined during an investigation into a fatal car crash as investigators seek to eliminate potential circumstances that could cause a vehicle to lose control. That said, on the night of the collision, Murfreesboro experienced partly cloudy skies with evening temperatures in the lower 50s. There were no reports of rain, high winds, or fog at the time of the collision. However, law enforcement gathered sufficient evidence to suspect that the driver of the full-size SUV, which collided with the small Toyota Corolla, may have been intoxicated.
51-year-old viMaria Valadez was believed to be heading home when a vehicle in the oncoming lane attempted to pass a slower-moving vehicle traveling in the same direction. As Miguel Medina Isaac attempted to overtake the car in front of him on Highway 231 North, he veered directly into Mrs. Valadez, who was traveling in the southbound lane. The collision proved fatal for Mrs. Valadez, and the impact caused Isaac's Tahoe to overturn, coming to rest in the southbound lane of Highway 231, also known as Lebanon Road.
The crash was investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. WGNS learned this past Friday, coinciding with Isaac's 52nd birthday, that the case was bound over to a Rutherford County Grand Jury, resulting in an indictment charging Isaac with one count of Vehicular Homicide by Driver Intoxication. The defendant will next appear in a Rutherford County Circuit Courtroom for arraignment on July 29, 2024, represented by a public defender.
Again, Isaac remains jailed under the charge of vehicular homicide by driver intoxication, a charge that's listed as a class B felony, punishable by 8 to 30 years in prison.
Mrs. Valadez, who was born in La Ribera, Jalisco, Mexico in 1972, was a wife, a mother of four children, and the eldest of her seven siblings. She was described as someone who loved unconditionally, gave generously, and forgave easily - never judging and always helping others (Scroll down for photo of victim). She was laid to rest in the Willow Mount Cemetery in Shelbyville, Tennessee on Feb. 12, 2024.
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