A suspected drunk driver is believed to have caused a crash that killed a Texas City High School student and injured others.
The accident occurred early morning on Saturday, March 21, 2009. A car carrying six Texas City teenagers was stopped at a red light on FM 1765 near Ross at about 2:00 AM when a speeding vehicle hit them from behind. The impact of the accident pushed the teens’ vehicle into oncoming traffic and caused them to hit a third vehicle. A pregnant woman was in the third vehicle and was also injured.
Samantha Romero, 17, was sitting in the back seat of the parked car when it was hit. She was killed in the accident and Raquel Martinez, 17, was critically injured. Martinez was taken by ambulance to the trauma center at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. According to police, the four other teens were also taken by ambulance to hospitals in Houston and Texas City.
The pregnant woman in the third vehicle was taken to Mainland Medical Center and it has been reported that she and her unborn child are in good condition. The driver of the third vehicle was also reported as being in good condition.
The suspected drunk driver was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to Mainland Medical Center in Texas City for treatment. Police are waiting for the results from blood tests before pursing drunk driving charges. If the results show that the driver was drunk, there may also be vehicular manslaughter charges filed.
Grief counselors were available for Texas City High School students as they returned from spring break. Romero is the second Texas City High School student to die in the past month.