Five people, including two children, were killed overnight in a tragic incident involving a suspected teenage drunk driver that closed parts of Interstates 35W and 20 in Fort Worth for several hours Monday morning.
According to the Fort Worth Police Department, the driver of a black Camaro was speeding northbound on Interstate 35W when he rear-ended a vehicle at the Seminary Drive exit around 12:30 a.m.
The vehicle caught fire, and according to authorities, five of the occupants were killed in the crash. Kyndle Danzey was about to exit Seminary Drive when she noticed a car on fire.
“All I heard was sirens,” Danzey claimed. “It was just a bunch of sirens and the roar of flames… “I also saw people running towards the flames.”
Danzey pulled over and took a brief video to notify her South Fort Worth neighbors and family.
“I don’t know whose family it is, but check all of your people to make sure they’re okay,” Danzey explained regarding the video’s goal.
MedStar officials say the crash killed three adults and two toddlers. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will announce their identities and ages after their relatives are notified of their deaths.
“They say that it was difficult to determine the age of the bodies found in the car,” said Daniel Segura of the Fort Worth Police Department. “It’s painful.”
Police claimed the Camaro’s driver, 19-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez, sustained serious injuries and was transferred to a local hospital for treatment before being arrested.
According to authorities, Gonzalez faces five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a car, and driving while intoxicated.
“Signs within Gonzalez’s vehicle indicated the presence of probable alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, while interviewing him, officers detected various patterns or evidence indicating that he was likely inebriated,” Segura stated. “It is difficult to recognize how our community is touched by some of the same challenges that develop. Our chief of police addressed it last week after one of our sergeants was killed by a drunk motorist. We can only do so much. And it causes intense sorrow in everyone’s heart.
It is unknown whether Gonzalez has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
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“Not only his life has changed, but he has changed the lives of many others,” Segura told reporters. Fort Worth police informed NBC 5 that witnesses who contacted 911 to report the incident were being interrogated as part of the investigation. Witnesses told NBC 5 that the flames spread immediately after the incident and could be seen from a distance.
NBC 5 contacted Gonzalez’s family, who said he resided with them about 15 minutes away from the collision site but declined to discuss his past or what transpired.
Gonzalez’s mugshot, taken hours after the collision, is now available.
“I don’t see any remorse in his expression. That’s what’s sad,” Danzey explained.
I-35W’s northbound lanes were closed from Loop 820 to Seminary Drive for several hours. Loop 820/I-20 was also closed to I-35W, however service roads remained available. After a five-hour assessment of the incident site, personnel took away the automobiles involved, and the roads reopened around 5:30 a.m.
The last several weeks have seen a string of horrific accidents on DFW roadways.
On August 10, a family of four was killed in a Grand Prairie crash after their automobile was hit by a suspected street racer.
In the past week, there have been three significant crashes on I-35 W between Seminary Drive and Sycamore School Road, all involving suspected drunk drivers.
Along with the five people murdered in Monday’s catastrophic crash, Fort Worth police sergeant Billy Randolph died on August 11 when he was injured while directing traffic at a wreck scene.
Yesterday, a Fort Worth officer’s car was struck by a suspected intoxicated driver. Following these collisions, some members of the DFW community have begun clamoring for stronger road enforcement action, claiming that something must be done to crack down.
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“We heard the crash,” remarked witness Jesus Marchant. “I know that it could have been prevented in so many ways.”
NBC 5 contacted TXDOT to see if the agency was planning any new enforcement or traffic controls along the stretch of I-35W where the recent crashes happened.
TXDOT informed us that those questions should be directed to Fort Worth police.
In response, the Fort Worth Police Department stated that the department has been committing all available resources to combat drunk driving and that the community must modify its behavior.
“We as a police department do the best we can to promote safety, to promote responsibility, but it takes everyone’s responsibility and hard work to make our community better,” Segura went on.
The inquiry into the crash is underway. Anyone with information or footage from the crash should call the Fort Worth Police Department.