A tragic accident in southeast Dallas has left a 12-year-old boy dead and three other children injured after an SUV they were in struck a tree. The crash occurred Thursday morning near Caspian Drive and Lasater Road, close to Interstate 20. The deceased victim was a passenger in the vehicle driven by another 12-year-old boy. The juvenile driver, along with two other passengers aged 11 and 12, were taken to a local hospital in stable condition following the incident, according to WFAA.
Witnesses reportedly saw the SUV speeding before it met its fate against the tree. A source close to the investigation confirmed that the young driver was indeed speeding. Adding to the chaos, a relative of one of the injured children claimed that an argument had erupted between the driver and a passenger, which led someone to abruptly yank the steering wheel. This action is said to have caused the SUV to abruptly veer off the road, leading to the crash, according to WBAP.
The Dallas Police Department is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. As part of the inquiry, officers are likely to closely look into the reasons behind the altercation and how the juveniles came to be unaccompanied in the vehicle. The names of the juveniles involved have not been released to the public. Dallas Fire-Rescue was among the first to respond to the scene, where one of the juveniles was pronounced dead.
Video footage circulating from the aftermath of the crash shows extensive damage to the front of the vehicle, indicating the force of the impact on the tree. The front windshield is badly smashed, further exemplifying the severity of the collision.
