September 29, 2010
Teen street racing claims another victim
Mother, 14-year-old son died at the scene; 6-year-old daughter a day later
One Jersey Village High School student was leaving band practice with his mother while a fellow student was speeding down a busy road in northwest Harris County when their paths intersected with devastating force Monday.
The collision at the intersection of North Gessner and Brookriver left a family in ruins with the deaths of a mother, son and daughter.
No criminal charges have been filed, but Harris County Sheriff's Office accident investigators said the crash appeared to have been caused by street racing.
Mayra Castillo Torres, 37, had just picked up her son, 14-year-old Jersey Village High School freshman Christopher Nuno from high school band practice when their minivan was broad-sided by a sport utility vehicle driven by a 17-year-old Jersey Village High School senior, sheriff's office reports show.
Nuno and Torres were killed on impact. Nuno's sister, 6-year-old Tatia Nuno, a Gleason Elementary School student riding in the minivan's back seat, died at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital Tuesday.
Accident investigators said they believe the 17-year-old driver of the sport utility vehicle was street racing on North Gessner with an 18-year-old Cy-Fair Windfern High School student when the collision occurred.
"They were racing — there's no doubt in my mind," said Sgt. Susan Cotter, of the sheriff's traffic enforcement division. "Witnesses said it appeared they were racing — they were side by side."
The teen driver involved in the crash denied that Tuesday, telling a local TV station that his best friend was driving next to him in a "loud truck" and said that probably was why witnesses thought they were racing. He told the TV station he was speeding "just a little," driving about 50 mph.
The teen driver involved in the crash denied that Tuesday, telling a local TV station that his best friend was driving next to him in a "loud truck" and said that probably was why witnesses thought they were racing. He told the TV station he was speeding "just a little," driving about 50 mph.
Cotter said both of the teens could face criminal charges once the crash investigation is complete.
She said sheriff's office deputies will perform a full reconstruction of the accident and present their findings to the Harris County District Attorney's office, which will determine if any criminal charges will be filed.
Torres had stopped her 2007 Nissan Quest minivan at a stop sign on Brookriver before pulling onto North Gessner, when her van was struck by a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe around 4:45 p.m. Monday, Cotter said.
The Tahoe was moving at "a high rate of speed" when it struck the driver's side of Torres' minivan, sheriff's office reports show. The SUV flipped on its left side, while Torres' van spun around and struck a nearby pole, Cotter said.
The driver of the other vehicle, a Ford pickup, also was driving at a high rate of speed, but never hit either vehicle, sheriff's officials said.
Christopher Nuno and his mother, sitting in the front seats of the minivan, were both wearing their seat belts, investigators said. It is unclear if Tatia Nuno was buckled in.
"EMS advised us she was lying down in the back seat when they found her, so it appears she was unrestrained," Cotter said of the girl.
Both teen drivers both had teen passengers in their vehicles at the time of the crash, Cotter said. All of the passengers were Jersey Village High School students, said Kelli Durham, spokeswoman for the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District.
The youths were on their way to an agricultural barn when the wreck happened, Cotter said.
Nuno's death comes just days before the school's homecoming celebration this weekend.
"I talked to the band director this morning — they're all very sad," Durham said. "They feel the loss tremendously."
