** UPDATE ** 17-year-old Kimberly Pimental passed away from her injuries last night. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
** ORIGINAL POST **
15-year-old Carlos Marquez Jr. passed away this weekend after a car carrying him and three others crashed into a medium along Texas Highway 360.
The four teens were students at Mansfield Timberview High School and were riding in 17-year-old Kimberly Pimental’s 2003 Lexus RX300 at the time of the wreck. They had just finished performing for a school play and had gone out to eat afterwards. Witnesses report Kimberly was driving close to 85 miles per hour (in a 55 mph zone). As she tried to pass a slower vehicle on a curve, she lost control. The Lexus plowed across the grass shoulder and into a patch of trees. 16-year-old Isaiah Rodriguez of Arlington was ejected from the car. He is at Fort Worth’s John Peter Smith Hospital in critical condition. Kimberly and other front seat passenger, 15-year-old Flordeluna Flores, were taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Kimberly is in critical condition and Flordeluna is listed as stable.
Carlos died at the scene of the accident. His sixteenth birthday would have been today (Monday, October 24th).
NBC did an excellent piece on the impact this wreck is having among students.
Grand Prairie police reminded the public that speed limits serve a purpose. They believe Kimberly’s inexperience in taking curves at high rates of speed was likely the reason she lost control.
A tragic day for the family and friends of all involved. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
R.I.P. Carlos. You will be missed.
