SAN ANTONIO – A retired Bexar County judge died from injuries sustained in a 2011 crash caused by a drunken driver, according to a spokesperson.
Karen Crouch, who served as the Bexar County Court at Law #10 judge, passed away on Tuesday at the PAM Health Specialty Hospital, where she was a patient. She was 62.
A news release states that Crouch retired in 2018 to focus on her family and health, as she was left severely injured in a 2011 head-on crash.
The crash happened as Crouch and her sister-in-law attended a Vermont Law School training session. Their vehicle was hit head-on by an 18-year-old driver, who was found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Her sister-in-law, Zyra Flores, was killed in the crash.
The release states that Crouch “willed herself to walk again to be there for her children.”
Her knees were reportedly “blown out” and she sustained fractures to her wrist, she told reporters in 2011. She also suffered internal injuries that led to multiple surgeries and hospital visits in the years since then.
By the time she retired in 2018, she had served as a judge for more than two decades and also served as visiting judge across Texas.
“She had a reputation for being tough and fair. She believed strongly in serving her community, a belief she and her husband Gerald Flores instilled in their three children Gerald, Nico, and Lilliana,” the release states.
Plans for her services are pending.