LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD/Gray News) – A family in Texas said their lives have been changed forever after a 20–year-old man intentionally crashed into a loved one’s car as part of a suicide attempt last month.
The family of 23-year-old Gracey Breitschopf said she remains in the trauma ICU after suffering a traumatic brain injury, severe spinal cord injury, broken ribs and torn neck ligaments in the crash on Nov. 29.
She was in a coma for eight days and is now on a ventilator, though she can respond through hand signals.
Police said Javier Valenzzuela was arrested after he told officers he intentionally hit another car.
According to the police report, Valenzzuela told police he was emotionally upset and drank five shots of alcohol before driving.
Valenzzuela was charged with three counts of aggravated assault after three people were hurt in the crash.
Breitschopf, a recent West Texas A&M graduate who had just started a new marketing job in Lubbock, suffered the most serious injuries.
Breitschopf was on her way to a concert with an old college roommate, hoping to spend a fun night catching up, when the crash happened.
“I hugged her on her way out and I was like, have fun tonight, be safe,” Sydney Coleman, Breitschopf’s cousin, said. “And I mean, she was, but it’s one of those things that you can be as safe as possible, but you don’t know what other people are gonna do.”
Breitschopf’s grandfather, Steve Osborn, said the family is struggling to understand why someone would intentionally cause others harm.
“That’s been the hardest part to wrap our heads around, why a young man would do that on purpose, you know, turn his lights off so they couldn’t see him coming and run the red light,” Osborn said.
Coleman said Valenzzuela’s decision instantly changed Breitschopf’s life and the life of her family forever.
“These are injuries that she will deal with for the rest of her life,” Coleman said. “We’ve already seen so many miracles. We’ve already seen so much healing take place, but these are very long-term, long road of recovery type of injuries.”
The family has received significant community support, with $15,000 in donations raised within 24 hours of the crash.
Osborn said even strangers have checked in on Breitschopf after following her story online.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future,” Osborn said. “And we know that she’s got the support she needs and we’ll be there for her.”
Coleman said the family wants people to see Breitschopf beyond a name in a crash report.
“Making sure that people can kind of put a face in a story to who Gracie is, not just the girl in the news story, but the Gracie that we know and love,” Coleman said.
Osborn said the family wants to make sure Valenzzuela can never do harm like this again. They also said they would not wish their situation on anyone.
“We’re not spending a lot of time or energy worried about him,” Osborn said. “We’re focused on Gracey and her recovery.”
The district attorney’s office must now present the case to a grand jury for potential indictment.
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