A grandfather, two of his grandchildren and his niece were killed when the golf cart they were riding in was involved in a collision with an alleged drunk SUV driver in southern Texas.
Police in Galveston, a town about 50 miles southeast of Houston on Texas’s Gulf Coast, said the fatal collision occurred at around 11.30pm on Saturday.
The victims were named as 49-year-old Felipe Bentacur, his niece Destiny Uvalle, 25; and his two grandchildren, four-year-old Kaisyn Bentacur and 14-year-old Brailyn Cantu.
A 45-year-old man, Miguel Espinoza, was accused of driving his SUV through an intersection in Galveston while under the influence. He was afterwards arrested and taken into custody.
Police said Mr Espinoza was later charged on four counts of intoxication manslaughter for the deaths of the two adults and two children.
He was being held on Sunday in Galveston County jail on $400,000 bond, police said. It was unclear if Mr Espinoza had a lawyer or had entered a plea.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was set up raising money for the victims’ loved ones.
During the incident, police said the driver of a Hyundai SUV failed to stop at an intersection on R Avenue, where a golf cart and a Dodge pickup truck were hit by the suspect.
Galveston police Sgt Derek Gaspard said the SUV sent the Dodge pickup truck into the golf cart, which had six passengers on board. He added that there was no stop sign.
The adult driver of the golf cart was pronounced dead at the scene and all five other passengers – including three children – were taken to hospital in a serious condition.
An adult and a child were still in a critical condition on Sunday following the deaths of a second adult and two children.
Mr Espinoza and his passenger were taken to hospital for minor injuries and released after treatment, police said. The occupants of the pickup were not injured, Mr Gaspard said.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
