Inset left: Majesti Faith Lee (Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office). Inset right: Diego Pena Jr. and Lizbeth Rodriguez Contreras (GoFundMe). Background: The Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond, Tex. (Google Maps).
A woman is accused of driving while intoxicated down the wrong side of a major Texas highway, crashing into a young family of four and killing three of them.
Majesti Faith Lee, 27, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
At about 2 a.m., along the 11400 block of South Highway 99 on the outskirts of Houston, a family of four was driving. Lizbeth Rodriguez Contreras, 27; Diego Pena Jr., 26; Camila Pena, 5; and a 3-year-old boy were traveling north. At the same time, Lee was driving south.
But she wasn't on the opposite side of the vehicle holding the family of four, according to a press release issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. Lee was allegedly "traveling southbound in the northbound lanes" and crashed into them.
Contreras and Camila were pronounced dead at the scene. Diego Pena and the 3-year-old boy were flown to a local hospital where the father was pronounced dead. As of Wednesday, the boy was hospitalized "in critical but stable condition."
Lee was also flown away from the scene to a local hospital — "with non-life-threatening injuries." Investigators say they "determined alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash."
The defendant was arrested and jailed on a bond of $1,050,000.
"Our hearts are with the family as they endure an unimaginable loss," Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan said. "This tragedy is a painful reminder of how quickly lives can be changed when impaired driving occurs, and why making responsible choices behind the wheel is so critical."
A GoFundMe set up for the victims says their families have "suffered unimaginable loss."
The family was leaving a holiday party "when a wrong-way driver" struck them "and caused the sudden and devastating loss of lives," the fundraiser adds, noting that the surviving child has "a long road to recovery."
South Highway 99 runs around Houston and is one of the most significant roads in and around the city.
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