A collision in Grand Prairie on Saturday night resulted in the deaths of four members of the same family, leaving the sole survivor, a child, fighting for their life.
Local authorities are investigating the crash, which occurred around 8 p.m. on South Belt Line Road near Marshall Drive.
The accident unfolded when a red Dodge Charger, driven by 20-year-old Jaime Mesa, was allegedly racing another vehicle, as confirmed by the Grand Prarie Police Department.
The Dodge Charger then collided with a Chevy Traverse SUV, which was reportedly not involved in the race. Witnesses reported seeing the SUV burst into flames following the impact.
“I just heard two cars. They passed, like, super fast in front of the garden, and right away we just heard a huge crash. I saw the smoke. I ran as fast as I could,” bystander Elisa Arguello told Fox 4 KDFW.
“I immediately saw the driver of the red car. They had just pulled him out of the car, and he was just trying to stand up. And I know when an accident happens you have an adrenaline rush, so I was just asking him, ‘Can you please stay low. Can you please stay laying down,’” Arguello added.
The fire was so severe that it took first responders nearly 15 minutes to extinguish it. Videos from the scene show the red Charger’s wreckage and the charred SUV on its side.
The SUV had been carrying a family. Tragically, two adults and two children who were in the vehicle died at the scene. A third child was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition, according to authorities.
Grand Prairie police arrested Jaime Mesa, who faces multiple charges, including manslaughter, racing on a highway, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Mesa was taken to the hospital but is expected to survive.
Additionally, 22-year-old Anthony Morales, the driver of the vehicle Mesa was racing, has been detained and is facing similar charges.
Resident Adam Ramirez, who lives behind the gas station, expressed his frustration with the street racing in the neighborhood.
“You can hear them just speeding up and down the road. From one minute to the next, you’re here, and you’re gone just for pulling out of a driveway, you know,” he told Fox 4.
Street racing has also been a problem in Dallas, where the police department is grappling with an ongoing officer shortage.
Only around 3,000 officers are currently fielded by the Dallas Police Department, despite a prior City analysis recommending a force of roughly 4,000 is necessary to properly police a jurisdiction the size of Dallas.
For its part, the Dallas City Council approved a budget of only $654 million for DPD this fiscal year, considerably less taxpayer money than what is being spent on public safety in other high-crime cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.