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Criminal complaint of deadly South Padre Island golf cart crash released

Criminal complaint of deadly South Padre Island golf cart crash released
2 months 2 weeks 5 days ago Tuesday, September 23 2025 Sep 23, 2025 September 23, 2025 2:37 PM September 23, 2025 in News - Local

The city of South Padre Island released new details in a deadly golf cart crash more than a month after it happened.

Channel 5 News requested the criminal complaint on August 21, and the city provided the document on Tuesday following a decision from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

The criminal complaint alleges the man charged in the deadly crash ran a red light while driving intoxicated.

As previously reported, 60-year-old David Rivera was charged with six counts of intoxication assault and one count of intoxication manslaughter.

Kaylinn Churchill, of Fort Worth, died as a result of the crash.

RELATED STORY: Fort Worth woman identified as victim in South Padre Island golf cart crash

The major two-vehicle crash occurred on August 9 at the 5600 block of Padre Boulevard. 

According to the complaint, officers reviewed surveillance footage from the scene that showed the golf cart carrying six people traveling southbound on Padre Boulevard.

The golf cart then turned onto East Morningside Drive during a yellow light, according to the complaint. The Avalanche was traveling northbound on Padre Boulevard when it disregarded a red light, striking the golf cart.

The occupants of the golf cart, including Churchill, suffered serious bodily as a result of the crash, according to the complaint. 

The complaint said officers made contact with Rivera and saw he had red blood shot eyes and detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his person.

Rivera was placed under arrest after refusing to perform a sobriety test. He was arraigned back in August and his bond was set at $180,000. He is no longer listed as an inmate in the county jail. 

A search of Cameron County court documents did not provide a court date for Rivera.

Channel 5 News has been reaching out to the South Padre Island Police Department to confirm details of the crash since early August. Channel 5 News first wrote about the crash on August 18 after the incident report with details of the crash was obtained by Channel 5 News after a public information request was filed for it.

The request for the criminal complaint was filed on Aug. 21 in an effort to learn more details of the crash. In an email dated September 8, South Padre Island's open records division said they had forwarded the request to the Texas Attorney General’s Office to decide if the information in the request "is within an exception to public disclosure."

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