BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — The family of a 6-year-old boy who was among three people killed in the Kerrville drag racing incident, is suing the event organizer and driver of the crashed Mustang.
“It should have been a lot safer for anybody to be out there watching the races. It was made to be a family event,” said Chance Jones, father of 6-year-old Daniel Trujillo-Jones.
Airport Race Wars 2 was promoted as “family friendly fun” but the event ended in disaster.
Jones described the horrific moments leading to the chaos as he was about to grab some sausages off the grill.
The drag racing event attracted more than 3,000 people to the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport on October 23.
“He yelled that the car was coming toward us and I was holding Gracie our daughter and James was I guess standing next to me. I more or less grabbed him by the back of the collar and tossed both of them to the left out of the way and the next thing I knew, I was hit, more or less airborne.”
Joes’ girlfriend Katie Walls witnessed the carnage unfold.
“I see Daniel go under the car and then a second later, it hit me,” she said.
Kerrville police say the driver of the drag racing Mustang lost control and struck Daniel Trujillo-Jones and a crowd of spectators.
Santiago Martinez, 8, and Rebecca Cedillo, 46, also died as a result of the crash.
More than a dozen people were injured.
“Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with ever,” Jones said.
Flyin’ Diesel Performance and Offroad, the company’s owner Ross Dunagan and driver of the Mustang, Michael Gonzales, are listed as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed in Bexar County District Court.
Daniel’s mother Delia Jones, Chance and Katie, are among the individuals being represented by attorney Jon Clark.
“They’ve had to go through something that no parent should have to go through by losing a son,” Clark said.
The lawsuit seeks monetary relief of more than $1 million for the filed claims, which details compensation for various personal injuries and alleges wrongful death.
The lawsuit alleges negligence such as failing to provide a safe environment at the event, specifically the absence of barricades that extend past the finish line and inability to control the vehicle.
Clark noted the City of Kerrville and Kerr County have been put on notice of a potential claim while the investigation proceeds.