HOUSTON, Texas — It's an accelerating problem on our streets. AAA Texas says there's been a 15% increase in fatal speed-related crashes statewide.
And the rise in illegal street racing isn't helping.
From quick-tempered drivers to text messages, it’s hard enough to feel safe out on Houston streets, but Christine Felgere was blindsided by just how dangerous they can actually be.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know what happened," Felgere said.
It was a Saturday morning in 2018.
“The guy that hit me was going 120 miles per hour and T-boned me," Felgere said.
Felgere was struck by a driver who was street racing. She woke up still living the nightmare.
“I think I was in the ICU. I was having bad dreams that someone was trying to kill me. I’ve never told anybody that," Felgere said.
The driver may have not been trying to kill her, but still, they almost did.
“It did irreparable damage. I actually died at the crash scene, had a couple of strokes. I was Life-Flighted," Felgere said.
And that’s the thing with street racing, no one really wins.
“He never saw her. She never saw him coming. He pretty much crushed every bone in Bethany's body," Lori Argumedo said.
Especially not Lori Argumedo’s niece, Bethany.
Ring video shows the heart-stopping moment when a street racer slammed into her car with Bethany and her brother, Emilio, inside.
“Bethany actually passed away at the scene. And Emilio was left there in critical condition so the young man actually left the scene and left them there," Argumedo said.
Street racing has been gaining speed in the past few years, with the rise of social media and the start of the pandemic.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says they’ve responded to 278 calls related to street racing since August. Last year, they only responded to 87 during the same time.
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“There’s a subculture to all of this. It’s been glorified in many ways. And a lot of the movies as well. Great movies but that’s for Hollywood," Gonzalez said.
It’s not a victimless crime, and it’s not just a nightmare.
There have been many others who’ve been blindsided, just like Felgere.
“I was unaware of just how serious a problem this is," Felgere said. “I’ve just found person after person after person that was either killed or hurt beyond belief so I'm in the camp of hurt beyond belief."
The nonprofit group Street Racing Kills holds regular events to educate teens on the dangers of illegal street racing. For more information on what they do, visit their website.
They will be hosting their "Respect the Road 2021 Summit" on October 22, and are inviting the public to attend.