HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — An 18-year-old man is dead after a crash while potentially trying to race in the Channelview area, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
This happened on North Silver Green Drive, which is off Dell Dale Street in the Sterling Green neighborhood. The sheriff first posted about the crash on social media at 5:08 a.m.
Gonzalez said the 18-year-old may have been trying to race another vehicle when he lost control and hit a curb before crashing into a home's front yard. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The sheriff said the man's 20-year-old sister was also in the car and was unharmed in the crash.
One family in the area woke up to the chaotic scene.
"About two in the morning I wake up abruptly and I just hear a young woman screaming for help," said 16-year-old Estephany Martinez. "There was a missing wheel, everything was just demolished and in pieces, and when they took the young boy out he was unconscious."
Gonzalez said the driver of the other car took off. The two cars did not hit each other, according to the sheriff.
Martinez and her neighbors said they were shaken by what happened.
"I'm still kind of emotional and feel horrible, because I have younger siblings, I have my older cousins, and the first thing that came to mind was them," She said. "I never want that for anybody."
Carolyn Davis, another neighbor, has lived in the area for more than 40 years. She said their streets have become more dangerous over the years.
"I'm on edge a lot because I have seen too many accidents," Davis said. "A lot of racing, racing almost every night."
She hopes more safety measures will be put in place. So does Martinez, who had a message for her fellow teenage drivers.
"Please be safe," Martinez said. "Driving is a huge people for us young people and you have to be responsible and safe about it because car crashes are nothing to be played with."
