Young child 'critical' after DWI crash

A 16-month-old girl is in critical condition, after deputies say her mom was drunk behind the wheel when she crashed their car.

"She went off the roadway, struck a steel beam. That beam then came crashing onto the pickup itself, and crushed the cab of the truck onto the child," Deputy Chris Trujillo said.

Hope Gallegos, 31, crashed while heading south at Highway 47 and Oakhurst outside Belen around 4:00 a.m. Sunday, according to the Valencia County Sheriff's Department.

The little girl was next to her in a car seat.

Investigators said they found empty beer cans and prescription drugs inside the car.

Gallegos failed both field sobriety and breath alcohol tests, according to investigators. She was treated for minor injuries and then arrested.

The two were headed home from Albuquerque.

"The lady and her child were at a family member's house in Albuquerque. They should have stayed there. Why they left I have no idea," Trujillo said.

The 16-month-old girl was in intensive care at University of New Mexico Hospital as of Monday afternoon.

The Valencia County Sheriff said the child is responsive and seems to be improving. The child is expected to live.

Hope Gallegos is in jail on a $200,000 bond.