Wreckage on I-35, WFAA Photo
Two weeks after the deadly multiple-vehicle crash on I-35, the Dallas County Sherriff’s Department has arrested three men on charges of manslaughter. Street racing lead to the deaths of two innocent victims the Tuesday morning of the wreck when Kory Lemonte Crayton was racing his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle against Frederick Don Sibley’s 2004 Ford Mustang. Both cars were speeding recklessly down the southbound lanes of the highway when Sibley’s Mustang lost control and smashed into a disabled car parked on the side of the road. The impact created a fire that quickly engulfed the stopped vehicle. The two women inside were burned so horrifically that it will take DNA testing to confirm the identities of the deceased victims. In addition to the two that were killed, three other people were injured in the crash.
Burned Vehicle on I-35, WFAA Photo
The Chevelle driver, Kory Lemonte Crayton age 39, was arrested at the scene of the accident. Only recently did the police department arrest 39-year-old Sibley and his passenger 26-year-old Elmore Dismuke. Commentators have pointed out that it is very rare in situations like this one to charge the passenger as well as the driver for manslaughter. The police have indicated that there were facts uncovered during the investigation that warrant this additional arrest.
This incident is one more example of how different the devastating realities of street racing are from the romantic cinematic portrayals. Instead of an empty stretch of night road populated only by tough young men and adoring young women – this was a weekday early commuter morning with two near-middle-aged men taking risks that ended the lives of two innocent women who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. All three men are currently behind bars awaiting arraignment.
