LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) – The community is in mourning after four people were killed in a fiery crash over the weekend.
Families and friends of four teens set candles and flowers for a makeshift memorial just hours after a fatal car crash Sunday night.
The accident happened at around 1:30 a.m. where Cuatro Vientos and Highway 359 meet.
Horacio Lopez was driving northbound toward Loop 20 at the time when he saw the fiery scene.
“I was going on the up ramp of Loop 20 and 359 and I was right on top of 359. I saw a lot of cars stopping there and I saw the smoke and I stopped to see down, and the car is on fire,” said Lopez.
Lopez said he didn’t see anybody inside or hear people, but he heard popping sounds from the vehicle.
According to Lopez, at the time of the scene there were no additional cars since law enforcement was already in the area along with the Laredo Fire Department.
According to Laredo Police, the driver allegedly lost control of the car hitting a curb rail causing it to go over it and crash into the highway’s retaining wall.
Upon impact, the car caught on fire, and all four teens died. Police say it is not clear if the impact or flames caused their death.
According to authorities, it is believed speed was a factor in the single-vehicle crash, but the investigation will determine how fast the car was traveling.
Laredo Police confirm there were two men who were 18 years of age, another man who was 17 and a 15-year-old girl inside the car.
The vehicle that caught on fire was a Black Toyota.
Police say the vehicle involved in the crash was a black Toyota that belonged to the 15-year-old girl but it is not clear who was driving.
“They were driving northbound they were coming from a gathering in south Laredo and going to another gathering in north,” said Baeza.
“So basically, that is where they were going. Other people where there and several people where telling each other what happened so there was presence at the time by the exit.””
Autopsy reports are still pending.
Investigator Joe Baeza said that due to the extreme nature of the accident they will have to rely on family DNA to identify the victims.
Even though the identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed by police, the United Independent School District said two of them were students at LBJ High School. Counseling will be available for students and staff who might need emotional support.
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Witness describes terrifying moments of fatal car crash in south Laredo – KGNS
