Grandfather and two of his grandchildren among 4 dead in Texas golf cart crash: "Like a bad dream"
The four people killed in a weekend golf cart collision in Texas were a grandfather, two of his grandchildren and a niece who were visiting Galveston for a quick vacation before school began, police said.
The crash happened Saturday after a driver accused of being intoxicated ran a stop sign and crashed into a pickup truck, which then hit the golf cart that was carrying six people. Police on Monday identified the four killed as Felipe Bentancur, 49; his niece, Destiny Uvalle, 25; and two grandchildren, Kaisyn Bentancur, 4; and Brailyn Cantu, 14.
All four were from Rosenberg, a Texas city about 30 miles southwest of Houston, police said.
Two others on the golf cart were critically injured, authorities said.
The driver of the SUV, Miguel Espinoza, 45, has been charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter. He remained jailed Tuesday on $400,000 bond, and it wasn't clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
In Rosenberg, four candles lined a front porch in the victims' neighborhood, CBS affiliate KHOU reported.
Four candles sit on the patio of a home in Rosenberg where I’m told relatives killed in the Galveston golf cart crash lived. Ironically, the suspect charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter is also from Rosenberg. More on @KHOU at 5:00 #khou11 https://t.co/8ygIvKe4A2 pic.twitter.com/dDiuR7fyx4
— Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) August 8, 2022
Relatives said the family was on a quick vacation to the island before the kids returned to school. They were Lamar Consolidated ISD students and family members told KHOU that Brailyn was excited about beginning his freshman year of high school.
"Like a bad dream, like a really bad dream," family friend Sylvia Martinez told the station.
"It'll take time to heal, and you can't express what the other people are feeling until you've been there," relative Minnie Villalobox said.
Golf carts are a popular way to get around the island resort area, which is on the Gulf of Mexico. Police have said they believe the golf cart was operating legally at the time of the collision.