'Prove you're not a coward': Victim's father asks Dallas I-35 hit-and-run driver to turn himself in
Authorities are still working to identify the driver of an 18-wheeler who was involved in a serious hit-and-run crash a week and a half ago just north of downtown Dallas that seriously injured two college students.
The crash happened about 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 on Interstate 35 at the Dallas North Tollway. It's a busy interchange, but one with surprisingly few surveillance cameras.
On the night of January 13, Chris Jensen got a call that his daughter and her college roommate were involved in a major accident in Dallas, and were on their way to Parkland Hospital.
“It’s just, time stands still when you get a call,“ Jensen said. “It’s the second worst phone call you can get about your child, and it’s just, we’re just thankful we have her. Both the girls.“
Kaylee Jensen, 21, and Cassandra Lizardi, 21, are roommates at the University of Texas Dallas. The two were on their way to dinner when the multi-vehicle hit-and-run crash happened.
Jensen suffered a brain hemorrhage, a broken vertebrae and broken ribs, while Lizardi’s hips and a collarbone were broken.
The mangled mess that was Lizardi’s Honda Accord was barely recognizable after the crash.
The Dallas Sheriff’s Department says the driver of the 18-wheeler, traveling northbound in the far left lane of I-35, made a dangerous lane change and collided with Lizardi’s Honda. Crash investigators believe Lizardi’s vehicle went under the trailer, spun around, and hit another vehicle, then bounced off a retaining wall, before slamming into a third vehicle as the truck driver continued north on I-35.
That 18-wheeler is described as having an orange cab and a white trailer.
“You’re going to feel some sort of jolt or something, but to just continue on your merry way and just leave these girls suffering the way they did, it’s a bad situation,“ Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman Paul Reyna said.
“Whether it was a hit and run or not, we still have two sick girls in the hospital," Jensen added. "But the fact that somebody did do this and not be accountable for it? There’s a problem there, I’m kind of big on accountability.”
As head coach of the Euless Trinity High School football program, Jensen said he and his family have been comforted by prayers and well wishes from the team and supporters, but he has a message for the hit and run driver.
“I just think there’s time to make peace in your own mind and prove, and prove that you’re not a coward. And right now you are!“ Jensen said.