Fresno family awarded $57M after drunk driver killed doctoral student

The life of a “golden” girl from Fresno praised by her peers, family and friends for her kindness has been valued at $56.5 million, a judge ruled in a wrongful death suit against the rogue drunk driver who killed her.

A Georgia judge ruled that the family of Beth Buchanan, a 23-year-old who was killed in February 2023 after a wrong-way driver collided with her vehicle as she was taking her mother to the airport, will receive the funds.

The drunk driver, Cesar Raudales Macias, is still on the loose and has yet to answer for his crimes, which include homicide by vehicle. The U.S. Marshals Service has posted his wanted mugshot online and is offering a $5,000 reward.

Buchanan’s relatives and friends offered glowing reviews of her as a person.

“One theme, in particular, appeared again and again in the stories shared about Beth: she was a light,” the Wednesday judgment said. “Nearly every person who spoke about her described the way she brightened the lives around her. One person even described her as ‘golden.’”

The 23-year-old was studying for her PhD at the University of Georgia at the time of her death. Those who knew her described her as a star student who got accepted to several Ivy League schools but chose to go to Rice University because it was a “happy place.”

She loved learning, those close to her said.

“Beth believed school was like going to a birthday party where you got to bring a present home,” the judgement says. “That sense of excitement about learning stayed with her throughout her life.”

Her parents, partner, and fellow PhD candidate traveled to testify for Buchanan. Others wrote letters in support of her.

The award was determined by the amount of life Buchanan was projected to have left: 56.5 years.

Buchanan’s family says the judgement is more-so a legal acknowledgement of her life than a monetary gain.

“We are absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of Beth,” they said in a statement. “This award is largely symbolic and we do not want it to be mistaken for compensation. No amount of money could ever account for the loss of our daughter or fill the void she left behind.”

Macias’ whereabouts are unclear. The 28-year-old is accused of killing Buchanan with his vehicle while he drove intoxicated.

The U.S. Marshals Service urges anyone with information on Macias’ whereabouts to contact them at 1-877-926-8332.

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