Beloved teacher and fiancé are killed in suspected drunk driving crash, Texas cops say

An engaged couple died in a crash that involved a suspected intoxicated driver, Texas authorities say.

Rick Ballard, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene following the Nov. 2 crash in El Paso, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. His fiancé, 28-year-old Dalia Olivas, died after being taken to a hospital, deputies said.

The sheriff’s office did not release additional details of the two-vehicle crash, but it said the other driver will be arrested “for two counts of intoxication and manslaughter upon release from the hospital.”

The identity of the accused intoxicated driver has not been released as of Nov. 5.

Olivas was a teacher at Triumph High School- El Paso West, where she taught English since 2022, according to KFOX.

“Her goals were to move to Florida with her fiancé and eventually get married,” school principal Francisco Chavez told KVIA. “It’s very tragic for us to hear this very sad news. She will be greatly missed.”

In a GoFundMe, Diana Villalobos described her sister, Olivas, as being “full of life and had a heart of gold.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Beloved teacher and fiancé are killed in suspected drunk driving crash, Texas cops say."