Dallas prosecutor hurt, daughter killed in Labor Day crash

Image 1 of 3

A Dallas County prosecutor and her husband, who is an investigator with the DA's office, were badly injured in a chain reaction crash Monday that also killed one of their children.

The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. on Highway 75 in Fairview just south of Highway 121. It was raining heavily at the time.

Police said the driver of an 18-wheeler slowed down because of an accident that had already happened. The semi was then rear-ended by the Cadillac SUV carrying the family of four, killing a 10-year-old girl.

Shawnkeedra Martin is one of the prosecutors who worked the Roy Oliver murder trial. She, her husband Harold and their 3-month-old daughter were all rushed to Plano Medical Center with serious injuries.

Chris Rausa saw the crash and immediately ran to help, fearing it might catch fire.  

"I see that there is an infant seat in the middle, in the back and so I immediately go to the other side and I pull the infant out,” Rausa said.

Rausa said Harold Martin was pinned in the driver's seat.

"Him and I we just kind of talked and I said, ‘It's going to be okay. We've already got somebody called, they're on their way. We're going to get you out of here,’” Rausa said.

Shawnkeedra Martin made headlines in Dallas last week during the sentencing phase of the Roy Oliver trial.

"And now the time has come for you to really get to see the man that he is, the evil that lies in within the defendant Roy Oliver,” Martin said as sentencing got underway.

Dallas attorney Daryl Washington has known martin since her law school days.

"All I know is that the family at this time is wanting everybody to pray.  That's all we can do,” Washington said. "I don't know how you can put words to really describe what this family and the whole legal community and the district attorney's office is going through right now."

Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said in a statement that she and her office was “deeply saddened” when they found out what happened.

“We will continue to lift them up in prayer and ask that the public do the same. However, due to the nature of the circumstances, the family asks that the public give them the utmost privacy as they begin their journey of healing,” Johnson said.

Police said seven other vehicles wrecked in the aftermath. They tried to avoid the crash and ended up spinning out of control or bouncing off of each other. The people in those vehicles suffered only minor injuries.