Scene of the Accident, WFAA Photo
Last night a terrible four-car wreck at Military Parkway and Miller Road around 9:30 pm left two adults dead and a child seriously injured (reports on the child’s age range from toddler to 8 years old.) The pile up was started by 34-year-old Leodegario Hernandez Juarez who has already been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.
The accident began when Juarez’s black Ford F-150 ran a red light at Miller as he was travelling west on Military Parkway. The first collision occurred when the F-150 slammed into the back of a Honda. The DallasCrimeBlog said Juarez’s pickup when on to hit both a Chevy Trailblazer and the passenger side of a ’99 Ford Taurus travelling on the green light. FOX 4 news reported that the Honda spun out when it was hit by the F-150 and then went on to hit the other two vehicles.
Wreckage from Crash, WFAA Photo
The ’99 Ford Taurus was pushed into a metal utility pole. The two adults inside were found dead at the scene of the accident. A child (potentially an 8-year-old-girl) was thrown from the car and lay in the street when paramedics found her. She was taken to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. There has yet to be an update on her condition. Initially, she was reported as in critical condition. Only one of the deceased adults in the accident has been publicly identified. Police released the name of 43-year-old Lashun Russell. It’s still unknown whether or not Russell and the other adult in the vehicle were the child’s parents.
No other serious injuries were reported. A woman in the Chevy was taken to the hospital but with what were reported as non-life threatening injuries. As for Juarez, he was in good enough shape to try to make a run for it after the accident. He left on foot and made it about 20 feet before a Good Samaritan tackled him. Several witnesses told police they could smell the alcohol on his breath. He was later taken to Parkland with what might have been a broken wrist.
Many drunk driving accidents occur late at night on weekends, this accident was particularly horrifying because it happened fairly early in the evening on a Monday when there is still some traffic on the roads. One news outlet had some insight as to why Juarez would be drinking on a Monday night. The local CBS station reported that Juarez was out celebrating his birthday.
We can only hope that the child who was in the Ford Taurus recovers from her injuries. Keep tuned in to your local stations as updates on the child’s conditions are reported.
