A 33-year-old driver who police say is responsible for the deaths of three recent Texas high school graduates has been charged in their deaths.
The man, from Fort Worth, Texas, allegedly was speeding as he drove his black Buick on Aug. 18 along Riverside Drive in the city and crashed into a car containing five young people. Three 18-year-olds, who graduated this summer from Trimble Tech High School, died from the injuries suffered in the crash.
He faces three counts of manslaughter by negligence. A Fort Worth Police Department spokesman said the charges were filed because of “the high rate of speed that Campos was traveling at the time of the collision.”
He was taken to Tarrant County Jail and held in lieu of $75,000 bail. Authorities said he had no criminal record.
In this case, the driver of the red sedan carrying the teenagers ran a stop sign before her car was hit. Still, the man is responsible for their deaths in the eyes of prosecutors because of his allegedly unsafe driving.
Mourners left messages remembering the young women who died on numerous online sites.
“We lost a friend, a daughter. She was one of the most caring people we knew. We will always carry you in our hearts,” according to a message left regarding one of the victims.
Another of the young women “always approached her life every day with a beautiful smile ready to overcome whatever came her way. She leaves behind her two younger sisters and her single mother.”
The criminal justice system will sort out the charges against the man. In the meantime, however, the families of the young women can seek compensation in civil court to recover their financial losses for funeral expenses and other costs.
