KERRVILLE, Texas – An entire family was hit by a car that lost control and flew off the runway Saturday at the Kerrville Airport during a drag racing event.
Daniel Trujillo-Jones, 6, was one of two children that died.
His father, Chance Jones, and Jones’ girlfriend, Katy Walls, suffered serious injuries and are still in the hospital. Daniel’s two younger siblings, ages four years old and three months old, were also hospitalized the day of the crash but have since been released.
“Daniel was just full of life. We have company events, and Daniel would just go up and say hi to everybody, and he was just the nicest person. Very grown-up for his age,” said close family friend and employer Kary Sabedra.
Chance Jones works for Sabedra at his performance diesel shop, Modern Diesel, LLC, in Austin. Sabedra wasn’t at the event but said a lot of his employees were.
“One of our employees saw the car coming, told everybody to run. They all scattered to get out of the way,” he said. “They called me right after asking for Chance’s emergency contact information.”
Sabedra immediately stepped in for support when he heard about Daniel and realized Jones and Walls were hospitalized.
“She’s had a few surgeries already. She’s kind of on the edge of being critical, is what they said. She’s had some major leg and pelvic injuries,” he explained.
Sabedra said Jones is still at an Austin hospital with a damaged knee and head trauma.
“We want to make sure they are financially able to mourn the loss of their amazing young boy,” he said.
One of the two GoFundMe accounts Sabedra set up has already raised over $16,000 for Daniel’s funeral and the whole family’s medical bills.
There will also be a car show fundraiser for the family sometime soon. Details will be posted on Sabedra’s website and his Instagram page, @moderndiesel.
On Monday, KSAT spoke with an employee at Flyin’ Diesel Performance, the company that organized Saturday’s drag racing event. They said the owner is not commenting at this time.
Kerr County employees have not yet returned KSAT’s calls for comment.
The City of Kerrville spokesperson deferred comment to the Kerrville Police Department, which is still investigating the crash.
On Monday, Kerrville PD released an update saying, “The 1990 Ford Mustang driven by Michael Gonzales began to lose control halfway down the 1/8 mile track. The vehicle lost rear traction and began to slide to the left and the right on the track. The vehicle ultimately lost control, turning to the left and entering into a slide.”
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