(DailyVantage.com) – A Texas family is seeking justice and demanding tougher laws after seven-year-old Ivory Smith was killed in a drunk driving crash allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant with a history of legal troubles. The tragic incident occurred on December 1 in Houston, just minutes from the Smith family’s home.
The accused, 41-year-old Joel Gonzalez Chacin, was charged with intoxication manslaughter following the crash that took the life of Ivory, a second-grade student at Klenk Elementary School.
Sharonda Collins, Ivory’s aunt, described the young girl as a “bubbly star” who loved dancing, gymnastics, and sharing her life on her YouTube channel. “She was always smiling, and we didn’t protect her,” Collins said on Fox & Friends. “Texas laws didn’t protect her.”
Authorities confirmed that Chacin, who was intoxicated at the time, T-boned Christina Smith and her daughter Ivory at 2:45 a.m. Instead of assisting the victims, Chacin reportedly exited his vehicle to take photographs of the scene and then fled.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t care,” Collins said. “He didn’t try to assist. He didn’t call for help. He got out, took pictures, and tried to flee the scene.”
Court records reveal Chacin had a troubling legal history. In June, he was arrested for assaulting a family member and placed on an ICE hold. The felony charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor, and after pleading guilty, Chacin was sentenced to 113 days in jail, which he had already served. He was released the same day, and the ICE detainer was inexplicably lifted.
The family is now calling for stricter DUI and immigration enforcement laws. “When they make the decision to drink and drive, they make a decision to possibly go to jail for a longer sentence because they don’t give us those choices when we’re riding on the street just trying to get home,” Collins said.
Ivory’s mother, Christina, who was injured in the crash, has since been released from the hospital but continues to suffer immense physical and emotional pain. “My niece has lost her only child. Her dad has lost his only daughter,” Collins said.
As the family prepares for Ivory’s funeral just days before Christmas, they are pushing for legal reforms to prevent future tragedies. “We’re planning a funeral instead of trying to celebrate Christmas,” Collins said. “It’s unfair, and we want justice for Ivory.”
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