Dallas PD: Teen driver to be charged for deadly Labor Day crash
The parents of four children lost their lives on Labor Day after police say a 17-year-old girl sped through a red light and crashed into their car. One of the children was hurt in the crash.
Police say when the teenage driver who caused the crash is out of the hospital, she will be arrested.
Dallas police say the 17-year-old girl was speeding, driving south on Hampton Road when she ran the red light at West Ledbetter Drive and slammed into the right passenger side of Julio Lopez's car. He, and his wife, Hilda Torres, died.
The couple’s 13-year-old daughter survived but was critically injured.
News of the deadly crash traveled fast to Dallas soccer fields.
Ramiro Rodriguez is one of many in the Dallas soccer community who played and refereed with Lopez.
"He always made us laugh and smile,” Rodriguez said. “We shared good times here on the field and off the field."
Lopez was known as the ref with a good personality who quickly got into deep conversations, offering life advice to players like Guillermo Tobar.
"He was a great person, a great ref. Always had a great attitude,” said Tobar. “He always had a smile on him."
It was only hours after hearing the news that Lopez’s friends came up with a plan to help the children of the couple from Monterrey, Mexico.
"I had the idea and said, ‘You know what? We should do a soccer tournament and donate the money to him,’” said Rodriguez.
Police are investigating if the young driver was street racing. A woman who works near the intersection said at the time of the crash, she heard engines revving, then looked out to see the car flying down the street. She did not see a second car speeding but says street racing sometimes happens there.
Police say once the teenage driver who caused the deadly wreck is out of the hospital, she will face charges.
Friends of Lopez and Torres say family members waited until the couple's injured daughter recovered to tell her that her parents did not survive.
More than $15,000 has been raised for the family online. Six teams have signed up for the seven-on-seven tournament that will be held Sunday.