Teen crash victim awake

A week after a crash sent a Clovis teen to a Lubbock hospital, he was able to speak to family members Tuesday morning.

Attorney Dan Lindsey, representing Juan Chavarria and his family, said the youth was taken off a ventilator Tuesday. But he still has no feeling in the left side of his body, Lindsey said.

Chavarria, 15, had been in a coma and doctors were waiting for swelling in his brain to subside, families members said previously.

Chavarria, who was riding a moped, was struck June 10 by a pickup truck driven by Brenda Lucero. Chavarria was crossing the intersection of Grand and Hickory streets when the accident occurred.

Clovis Police Capt. Patrick Whitney said initial findings indicate Chavarria was at fault for the crash and there are no charges pending against Lucero.

Charges against Chavarria are pending, he said.

Chavarria failed to stop at a stop sign, was not licensed, and was not insured when the crash occurred, Whitney said.

Lucero, a records clerk at the Clovis Police Department, said she has been overwhelmed with concern for Chavarria since the crash.

“I feel bad for him but I know I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “I wish it would have never happened. ... I’m just going to keep praying for the child.”

Lindsey said he became involved at the request of the family because they felt they weren’t receiving cooperation from police and wanted to understand what happened.

Lindsey said he has hired a crash expert to determine if Lucero was speeding.

Whitney said skid marks made when Lucero applied the brakes while attempting to avoid the crash do not indicate she was speeding.