RAYMONDVILLE, TX (12/24/2016) — Four members of the Cantu family died in a head-on collision involving an 18-wheeler on the morning of Christmas Eve.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) identified the victims killed in the 18-wheeler accident that occurred on State Highway 186 (near FM 1834) in Raymondville, Texas as: 34-year-old Luis R. Cantu, 37-year-old Elizabeth Murad, 14-year-old Delroy Cantu, and 8-year-old Luis Cantu Jr. (all of Lasara).
DPS reported that at around 11:00 a.m., 38-year-old Antonio Quintero was traveling westbound on SH 186 in a Kenworth tractor-trailer when he lost control, entered the oncoming lane of traffic, and struck a black 2005 pickup-truck – occupied by the Cantu family – head-on.
All four occupants of the pickup truck lost their lives in the collision. According to Raymondville Municipal Judge Felicita Gutierrez, the Cantu family’s youngest child was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
According to Lt. Johnny Hernandez of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the truck driver was traveling at an unsafe speed when the crash occurred. Police have not yet revealed the speed in which Quintero was traveling, but Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence said that the trucker was driving “too fast for existing conditions.”
Quintero was arrested and charged with four counts of criminally-negligent homicide. His bail has been set at $100,000.
Commentary
This accident is currently under investigation, but we will provide updates as they become available. To those affected by this tragic crash, we offer our condolences.
