The medical status of Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, remains unclear after a Feb. 27 accident in the Dallas-Fort Worth area left his son in critical condition and killed his 13-year-old niece, Brianna Titcomb.
The Dallas Morning News reported March 7 that Rodriguez was in serious condition after he suffered a cracked bone in his neck and underwent abdominal surgery. But since then, Parkland Memorial Hospital will not release his status, and sources close to the Rodriguez family have opted to keep his condition private.
WJAR Channel 10 reported on its Web site that Rodriguez had been released from a Texas hospital, but that report could not be confirmed.
Rodriguez is a prominent Latino political activist and doctor in the Providence community. A Democrat, he was the founder and first president of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee, according to the Providence Journal.
In the early hours of Feb. 27, a black pickup truck heading in the wrong direction on a Texas highway collided with an airport shuttle transporting Rodriguez and several family members, despite the driver's attempts to evade the oncoming truck. The accident injured all the shuttle's passengers except for Rodriguez's wife, Diane, and the driver.
The shuttle was en route to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on the last leg of the family's trip to Belize.
Rodriguez's office at the University declined to comment on his or his family members' status.
The early morning collision threw Brianna Titcomb from the shuttle. She died on the scene before police arrived.
Rodriguez's 13-year-old son, Raphael, was listed in fair condition at Children's Medical Hospital in Dallas, according to the Providence Journal.
Four commuters called into the Irving Police Department, first reporting a pickup making a U-turn on state Highway 183, speeding into traffic on the westbound side, and colliding with the shuttle.
The Journal reported that Dawn Titcomb suffered a broken pelvis and liver injury. Her husband, John, has a back injury. Their 10-year-old son, Brett, sustained no major injuries.
Rodriguez's 16-year-old son, Pablo Jr., has been treated and released from Parkland Memorial Hospital.
The driver of the black pickup, 20-year-old Kayla Proffitt, received minor injuries.
She had been arrested 10 days earlier on allegations of drunk driving after being found passed out in her car at an intersection, according to the Morning News.
Proffitt, a bartender and resident of Grapevine, Texas, has been arraigned on five counts of intoxicated assault and one count of intoxicated manslaughter with total bail set at $50,000, according to an Irving Police Department arrest release.
Good Samaritan Edward Wendorf came across the accident and saw Proffitt bent over the lifeless body of Titcomb, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Wendorf was furious upon hearing that this was the second time Proffitt has been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol.
"This sounds coldhearted, but I'm glad she did see her body," Wendorf told the Dallas Morning News. "She needs to see that and see it for the rest of her life."
