SAN ANTONIO — SAPD said a 15-year-old boy ran a stop sign and was driving without a license Sunday when he hit a family’s van, knocked down a telephone pole and crashed into a home.
This happened on Creath Place on the south side. The teen driver and the family of five were all hospitalized. All are expected to be okay.
“Had we been going a little bit faster; he could’ve hit my husband and my daughter head on,” Yesenia Gonzalez said.
Yesenia Gonzalez said her family had just left their home to go to one of their daughter’s soccer games when they were hit at the corner of Walhalla Avenue and Creath Place.
"My girls were hysterical,” Gonzalez said.
According to a police report, the teen fled his home after a fight. Gonzalez remembers seeing the driver speeding down the road, but wasn't able to alert her husband, who was driving, quick enough.
"Look what you did to my family, look at my husband, look at kids, look at my vehicle,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez was able to get her three girls out of the van. The youngest of the daughters is just four years old. She said they were all banged up and taken to the hospital but are doing better. Her husband suffered the worst of the injuries. She said he has two fractured ribs and a bad concussion.
"He's the only one who works, I stay home with the girls, that is our only vehicle,” Gonzalez said.
A neighbor who heard the crash and ran outside to call 911 said she has been concerned with reckless drivers for more than 30 years.
"That's all they do through here, they speed, it's a nonstop thing,” the neighbor said.
Gonzalez recalled the city surveying the street for speed bumps years ago but nothing happened.
District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said since she has been in office, she has not been made aware of problems with Creath Place but has made it a priority of hers to address speeding in neighborhoods.
"So we are kind of looking at whose got speed bumps, who needs speed bumps, how can we slow down traffic in these residential areas to keep it safe,” Viagran said.
Gonzalez said as angry as she is that her family was put in danger, she is willing to forgive the young driver.
"I just hope that he learns from this,” Gonzalez said.
Police said the 15-year-old is facing a citation for driving without a license. The crash is still under investigation.
The family has created a GoFund me account since it was their only vehicle and are unsure about insurance covering the claim since the driver was unlicensed.