Fatal crash in Texas attributed to street racing

Police officers and accident attorneys investigating a fatal crash that claimed the lives of two high-school students in Texas have confirmed that racing was a factor in the accident.

According to the San Antonio Express News, Antonio Flores, 19, a senior at Brandeis High School, was racing against an unknown vehicle when he drove his Mitsubishi Lancer into a pick-up truck that was turning left, before crashing into a utility pole. Police reports showed that Flores had three other students in his car at the time of the accident, two of whom were fatally injured as a result.

Gabriella Lerma, 17, and Georgina Rodriguez, 16, were traveling in the back seat at the time, with local law enforcement officers advising that neither girl was wearing a seatbelt. According to a police report filed after the accident on February 19, the four teenagers were on a lunch break, with Flores using the opportunity to engage in illegal street racing against an as-yet-unidentified vehicle.

The crash occurred less than a mile from the Brandeis campus, with emergency services believing that Flores had tried to get past the pickup truck by accelerating through the left-turn-only before it could make the turn from the middle lane. Police officers and accident lawyers suspected that the 19-year-old driver was racing, but initial investigations were unable to confirm this.

Flores has not been charged with any traffic violations, but he was taken to University Hospital with critical injuries, as was one of his female passengers. Both of the occupants of the truck were also injured in the crash, being taken to Methodist Hospital where they reported to be in a serious condition.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, while Lerma, who was airlifted to the same hospital as the driver, was declared to be dead on arrival, according to police reports. While the cause of the accident has been established, local law enforcement officers and accident attorneys have advised that the investigation remains ongoing.

The San Antonio Police Department has had an "aggressive vehicle" policy in force since 2000, according to the news source, which attempts to locate drivers who are tailgating, racing or driving in a dangerous manner. Since 2003, Texas has allocated street racing as a Class B misdemeanor, carrying a $2,000 fine, a suspended license for one year and up to 180 days in jail, depending on the severity of the incident. 

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