Teenage drunk driver kills family of 5 in Fort Worth fiery crash, police say
FORT WORTH, Texas - Five people, including two children, were killed in a fiery crash overnight in Fort Worth involving a suspected drunk driver.
The teenage driver involved in the crash is charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and DWI. Fort Worth police say evidence at the scene supports those charges.
The deadly crash happened around 1 a.m. Monday on Interstate 35W in south Fort Worth.
Police say 19-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez was driving recklessly in a black Camaro northbound on I-35W near Seminary Drive.
Eduardo Gonzalez (Source: Fort Worth Police)
"Initial details of the investigation revealed that a black Camaro that apparently was traveling at a very high rate of speed rear-ended another sedan," explained Fort Worth Police Officer Daniel Segura. "The sedan then caught on fire, and five victims were pronounced deceased on scene."
Three adults and two children were killed. There were no survivors.
Gonzalez had some serious injuries after the crash, but his injuries weren’t life-threatening. He was treated at the hospital, released and then booked into jail.
Officers are said to have observed physical evidence that Gonzalez was drunk.
"Alcohol items in the car, empty cans of alcoholic beverages, plus the odor, the smell, the speech. And the speech of the driver indicated that an impairment was present," Segura said. "His blood alcohol level will be determined once we have results from the lab."
Witness Kyndle Danzey was taking her normal exit off 35W at Seminary Drive when she saw a vehicle engulfed in flames.
"As soon as I pulled up right before I got back on, the ambulance and fire truck and the police were all pulling up behind me," she recalled.
Witness Jarvis Hunter described the terrifying seconds leading up to impact with the Camaro's headlights in his rearview mirror.
"All you could see is the lights getting in on you getting closer and closer," he recalled. "I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is about to go down, and this is going to happen.’"
Danzey witnessed the aftermath as other drivers ran to the burning sedan.
"They were hopping over, not caring that the car was on fire just to see if people were inside the vehicle," she recalled. "It was a lot of people stopping, trying to see what was going on, trying to help even though help couldn't be given by us."
Meantime, police say the reality hits hard after five lives were lost in a crash that should not have happened in the first place — especially with an underage drinking suspect.
"This is very painful for our community," Segura said. "If you know someone who has been drinking, please do anything you can to stop that person from getting behind the wheel. Because this is not worth everyone’s life."
The names of the victims will be released after the Tarrant County Medical Examiner notifies relatives.
Gonzalez remains in the Tarrant County jail. A bond has not been set.