Family Law Attorney in Chesnee, SC

CHESNEE, S.C. —

A Chesnee, South Carolina, woman is facing felony DUI charges after investigators said she hit a construction worker with her car. The young man is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.

A judge granted 54-year-old Stacy Robbins a $50,000 surety bond on Thursday under vows she would be monitored for GPS home detention and SCRAM drug and alcohol use. Robbins is accused of driving under the influence and hitting 19-year-old Mateo Gonzalez Rosina while he was navigating traffic in an active construction zone.

Rosina was taken to the hospital and remains unconscious as of Thursday afternoon. He has several traumatic injuries, including a brain bleed and broken bones. He is being intubated and remains on a ventilator.

Deputies told the court Rosina is expected to survive, but not without a long road of recovery.

On the corner of U.S. 221 and North Alabama Avenue, roadside cones and signs sit unmanned. Investigators said this is where Rosina was hit between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Rosina was moving cones to help oncoming cars through the work zone. He works for Rogers Group, a construction company headquartered in Greenville County.

His fiancée, Alondra Perez, said she dropped Rosina off that morning for work and hugged him goodbye. She texted him minutes before the crash.

"He was on his side of the road, protected by the cones, and he just needed to open up some cones so the work trucks could go by," Perez said.

Investigators said Robbins drove through the area where Rosina was working, then turned around and came back, hitting him at high speed. They claimed there were no skid marks or signs of braking.

Rosina's coworkers recalled hearing a loud crash, which sounded like two cars hitting each other rather than a car hitting a person.

“He rolled up on the car, bounced on the windshield, and then flew about 30 feet out and then hit the floor," Perez said. “He is on a ventilator, and he has a broken clavicle and a fully broken arm that will need surgery. He has a small brain bleed on his right side. He has bruises all over his body. Knees, hands. He's not able to really move on command. If you ask him to, like, open his eyes. He only responds to pain."

Robbins was arrested by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office at 12:44 p.m. Wednesday. She told deputies there were no cones and she was going 15 miles per hour.

While in custody, investigators claimed Robbins was showing signs of delayed speech and confusion. Deputies said she was not sure of what day or time it was and did not believe her car was damaged besides needing a new windshield.

Investigators then said she was told about the extent of the crash and responded with the following: "I hope he is OK, but he should not have been playing."

Toxicology reports are being done to determine if any substances were involved. Investigators said Robbins failed several sobriety tests, and it is believed she was driving impaired.

Investigators said she was questioned about whether a particular drug was used for pain; she said she used it "to help her not feel the pain." She also told investigators she took Ambien, but not at the time of the crash.

Robbins stood in front of the judge wearing a shirt with a Bible quote from Ephesians 2:10. In a statement to the judge, Robbins claimed she did not drink alcohol. She quietly continued: "I am so sorry. I pray for his recovery and that they can get married and have a family. I am so sorry."

By Rosina's side is his bride-to-be, her sisters and his coworkers. Other family members are living in Argentina and unable to see him in-person.

His supporters stood in his stead to testify on his behalf while he remains in the ICU, each holding each other as the judge read out Robbins' bond conditions in court.

His loved ones describe him as loving and hard-working.

“Mateo is, he's honestly such an amazing person. He's such an amazing guy. He's super hardworking. He's always taking care of me. I was telling my sister earlier. I'm really just a spoiled girlfriend. I didn't really have to do much. There was times where I just felt really low and he would pick up, you know, after me and everything, even though he's working. He's very loving. He loves everybody," Perez said.

Perez added this was preventable and senseless.

“I just, I want her to see that driving under any influence is wrong and that people have families. And I want her to see that he's loved. When they get into a car. That machine can hurt people. Whether you hit another car or you hit a person that hurts people," Perez said. "The person who is driving that vehicle under the influence always gets to walk away. The people that are hurt don't, and they always end up in the hospital or worse.”

A young man was doing his job and happened to be caught in the middle of something horrific.

"There are people working, and they just want to go to work. If we are able to provide for their families. If you want to be reckless with your own life, that's up to you. That is your decision. When you are getting behind a vehicle and the wheel of a vehicle, you're putting other people at risk," Perez said.

Perez has set up a GoFundMe for Rosina's recovery.