HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A 15-year-old girl says her bed likely saved her life when a suspected drunken driver crashed into her bedroom Monday evening in northwest Harris County.
Juan Martinez, 71, is in jail following the crash on Harper Forest near West Mount Houston Road. Court records show he has at least five prior convictions for driving while intoxicated.
In an exclusive interview with ABC13, Miryoret Ajpacaga said she was lying in bed around 5:30 p.m. when the car tore into her room.
“Everything happened so fast. I didn’t know it was a car,” she said.
Miryoret, who did not want her face shown on camera because of her facial injuries, believes her bed frame kept the vehicle from striking her directly.
“What saved me was the bed,” she said. “Because if the bed wasn’t there, I would have died because the car would have ran into me.”
Police say Martinez was driving to his home across the street when the crash happened. Court documents allege he was intoxicated behind the wheel.
According to the family, Martinez first struck a fire hydrant, then hit the back of their pickup truck, pushing it into the garage. His car continued into the house and through Miryoret’s bedroom.
“Literally, like, everything was on top of me,” Miryoret said.
Video recorded by her father after the crash shows her wearing a neck brace and receiving medical attention. The footage also shows Martinez stumbling as an officer supports him before he collapses onto the grass.
Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said investigators found partially consumed bottles of alcohol inside the vehicle.
Court records show Martinez received community supervision through plea agreements in at least three previous DWI cases.
Following his fifth DWI conviction in 2021, Martinez agreed to a plea deal that included 10 days in jail, five years of community supervision and a two-year driver’s license suspension. A judge ordered the removal of his vehicle’s ignition interlock system in July.
Rosen questioned whether the previous penalties had provided enough protection for the public.
“Obviously he’s got a problem that he needs to deal with,” Rosen said. “And, you know, the system is not holding him accountable.” “The last thing we want to have happen is somebody die,” he added. “And in this particular case, he easily could have killed this 15-year-old girl.”
Miryoret now sleeps on a mattress in the living room because her bedroom and its contents were destroyed. She has bruises all over her body and is on crutches due to an injured ankle.
“Now I can barely, like, walk,” she said. “Like, ‘My whole body hurts. Most of the time, I stay in the bed because I can barely move.'”
The family said they have homeowners insurance, but they do not know yet how much of the damage their policy will cover.
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