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Deadly wrong-way crash sees change a year later

TxDOT also took action, closing or making safety improvements to exit and on-ramps tied to wrong-way driver cases.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The woman accused of killing two people in a wrong-way drunk driving crash on the Harbor Bridge remains behind bars.

Workers at the San Patricio County Sheriff's Department are still mourning the loss of one of their own. Dispatcher Betsy Mandujano was front and center as part of the department's Day of the Dead display.

"Last night and the night before she would've been with us at Halloween because she was there religiously for all of these events. It's still unreal. We really miss her and it's still hard to swallow that," said San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera. 

Mandujano and her friend Mathew Banda were killed in a wrong-way driver collision on the Harbor Bridge exactly one year ago.Roxanne Palacios is accused of the crime and remains in the Nueces County Jail.

Portland Police Department Chief Mark Cory said the incident is still fresh in his mind. 

"It was a tragic day a year ago, and it still resonates throughout the law-enforcement community since we lost one of our own there," he said. 

Cory said his department had been dealing with wrong-way drivers coming across the Harbor Bridge for years. But it wasn't until Mandujano and Banda's deaths that someone stepped in to facilitate change.

"Between DPS and our police department there have been hundreds and I mean hundreds of DWI arrest since this task force took place," he said. 

DPS Sergeant Harold Mallory said the DPS-led task force has worked. Here are the stats he provided for what DPS has accomplished since that task force was started back on March 11:

Traffic Stops: 22,774

Citations: 8,225

Warnings: 25,085

Speed: 2,163

Seatbelt: 373

DWI: 201

Narcotics: 281

Wrong way drivers 15

Motorist Assist: 15

"We have stopped any of the wrong way drivers from entering the bridge itself. Now, people are still driving down the wrong way through downtown and other areas but we are getting them stopped before they get close to getting on the bridge," he said.

TxDOT also took action, closing or making safety improvements to exit and on-ramps tied to wrong-way driver cases.

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