Drag racer involved in Kerrville crash that killed 2 kids is from Fort Worth, police say
.jpg "A drag racer involved in a fatal crash in Kerrville on Saturday was from Fort Worth, Kerrville police said. The driver remained hospitalized Tuesday.")
A drag racer involved in a Kerrville crash that killed two children is from Fort Worth and remained hospitalized Tuesday from injuries he suffered in the wreck, according to Kerrville police.
Kerrville police identified the driver as Michael Gonzales, 34, who was reported in stable condition at a San Antonio hospital.
Gonzales was driving in an organized, sanctioned drag race at Kerrville Aviation on Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his car and left the runway, crashing into parked vehicles and striking spectators who were watching the race.
Family members of Gonzales could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
Killed in the crash was a 6-year-old child who was pronounced dead at the scene and an 8-year-old boy who was taken to Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrville, where he later died. The names of the children have not been released by authorities.
Seven other people were injured, including two who were in critical condition at a hospital in San Antonio.
The crash occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday at a racing event called Airport Race Wars 2 at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, 1875 Airport Loop. Kerrville is about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio and it’s more than 280 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
A preliminary Kerrville police crash report indicated that Gonzales was driving a 1990 Ford Mustang down a track when he lost control of the car, sliding off a runway which was being used as a track. The car slid into a grassy area and hit several spectators who were watching the race.
The Mustang came to a stop after hitting a trailer, Kerrville police said.
Spectators injured at the track included:
▪ Rebecca Cedillo, 46, of Converse, who was in critical condition at University Hospital in San Antonio.
▪ Mary Kate “Katy” Walls, 27, of Taylor, who was in critical condition at University Hospital in San Antonio.
▪ Chance Dean Jones, 26, of Taylor, who was in stable condition at Dell Seaton Medical Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
Two other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and two children, a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old baby girl, were taken to the Kerrville hospital for precautionary evaluations and later released.
Kerrville police continue to investigate the crash.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 12:06 PM.
