GALVESTON, Texas — Four victims of a horrible Galveston crash involving a golf cart over the weekend have been identified. All of the victims were from Rosenberg and their ages ranged from 4 to 49, according to Galveston police.
- Kaisyn Bentancur, 4
- Felipe Bentancur, 49
- Brailyn Cantu, 14
- Destiny Uvalle, 25
Destiny was Felipe Bentancur's niece and both children were his grandkids. His wife and a third grandchild were also in the golf cart and both were critically injured.
Friends and family brought balloons and other items to the scene Sunday, still processing the sudden loss of four people.
In Rosenberg, four candles lined a front porch in the victims' neighborhood.
“Like a bad dream, like a really bad dream," family friend Sylvia Martinez said.
“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.
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 said Brailyn was excited about beginning his freshman year of high school.
How the crash happened
The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday on 33rd Street, a few blocks away from Seawall Boulevard.
Police said a black Hyundai SUV failed to stop at the intersection of Avenue R and 33rd Street, hitting the golf cart and a black Dodge truck.
The driver was identified as Miguel Espinoza, 45, from Rosenberg. Police said he was drunk and he faces four counts of intoxication manslaughter.
“It’s just a really bad, tragic accident that a drunk driver that’s from Rosenberg hit someone from Rosenberg,” Martinez said.
Investigators said Felipe Bentancur was driving the golf cart and he died at the scene. The other three victims died at the hospital.
Police said Espinoza suffered minor injuries and he appeared in court Monday morning. At last check, he remained jailed on a $400,000 bond.
“This is a terrible situation and the Galveston Police Department is very disturbed by this incident," GPD Sgt. Derek Gaspard said.
In the wake of this tragedy, Galveston’s mayor said city council will discuss additional safety measures regarding golf carts.
'It was terrible'
Neighbors are still traumatized by the devastating scene.
"The image of them kids won't get out of my mind at all," Donna Bekkema said.
Bekkema's neighbor tried to save one of the victims.
"My friend is holding the boy's hand and the other little boy is over there and the other little boy is under the truck like a ball," she said.
Family and friends said the people in the golf cart were on vacation.
“It hasn’t really hit. We know about it," Minnie Villaloboz said. "We felt it, but it will take time.”
Kimberly lives near the crash site. She said the tragedy hits especially close to home.
“It was hard. I mean, I have four children of my own, and having to see what we witnessed last night ... it was terrible,” she said.
Another neighbor said her mother is still traumatized from what she saw in the aftermath of the crash.
“There’s always a lot of traffic around here. Maybe if they had a four-way stop, maybe the golf cart would have seen the guy run the stop sign,” Nayeli Perez said.
The Galveston Police Department along with TABC are investigating this incident.