A Bandera man has pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter in connection with a 2024 crash on Texas 46 that killed a family of three, according to the Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Carl Sidney Galm, 60, entered the plea April 10 as part of an agreement supported by the victims’ surviving family members. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined $10,000.
According to the Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Galm must serve at least nine years before becoming eligible for parole. He had no prior criminal history.
The charges stem from a head-on collision that occurred Oct. 29, 2024, on Texas 46 West. Investigators said Galm was driving a Ford F-250 westbound after leaving Boerne when the crash occurred around 7:45 p.m., approximately 6.3 miles from where he was first recorded on traffic cameras.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, multiple witnesses reported a long line of traffic behind an 18-wheeler.
Investigators said Galm attempted to pass the line of vehicles in a no-passing zone on an uphill curve, crossing a double yellow line.
Authorities said Galm passed at least five vehicles before colliding head-on with a Toyota Corolla driven by Roger Louis Waid.
Data from the investigation indicated Galm was traveling about 93 mph seconds before impact, according to the Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Roger Waid, his wife Patricia Ann Waid, and their teenage daughter Blake Lynn Waid were pronounced dead at the scene.
First responders attempted to rescue the family, but all three occupants died from their injuries.
Galm was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. A blood test showed no drugs or alcohol in his system.
Prosecutors said the plea agreement reflects the severity of the risk taken and the preventable nature of the crash.
“The 18-year plea agreement reflects the gravity of the unjustified risks taken that evening,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
The investigation was led by the Texas Department of Public Safety with assistance from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, Boerne Fire Department, Pipe Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Kendall County EMS and Bandera EMS.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Steven Belt and Derly Chapa, with assistance from investigators and victim services staff.
