A five-year-old boy has tragically died in Texas after his uncle allegedly attempted to 'beat an oncoming train' by driving around lowered crossing barriers, leading to a catastrophic collision.
A Catastrophic Decision
The incident occurred on November 19, when Fabian Riojas, 24, was driving with his five-year-old nephew, Emilio Martinez. According to police, Riojas drove around the railway barricades and was struck on the side by a train. The impact was so severe it threw the vehicle an estimated 300 yards down the road.
Riojas was rushed to hospital for treatment. Tragically, young Emilio died from his injuries sustained in the horror crash. Official records confirm that Fabian Riojas has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection with his nephew's death.
A Father's Heartbreak and Forgiveness
Emilio's father, Jon Martinez, confirmed the devastating sequence of events in an interview. "Basically, [he] was trying to beat the train," said Martinez. "And unfortunately, the train won."
He expressed his profound grief, stating, "Words can't explain how much I miss him. This is really sudden. I was at work when this was told to me."
In a remarkable act of compassion, Jon Martinez has asked officials to drop the manslaughter charges against his brother. He passionately defended Riojas, saying, "The last thing I want is people to think that my brother's a monster, because I can assure you that my brother loved him more than anything. And if I can forgive him, I hope everyone else can too."
Describing the fateful decision as a "mistake," Jon believes his son would not want his uncle to face jail time. "He did it, and he wasn't so lucky, and unfortunately, he had to pay with my son's life. I know if he'd had a chance, he would have given his life for him."
A Preventable Tragedy and a National Safety Warning
Tracy Carter, a safety prevention official, labelled the incident as entirely "preventable." He explained to CBS News that the driver likely assumed he could pass the barricades safely. "The train may not be visible, but those arms are down for a reason," Carter stated.
He issued a stark warning to all drivers: "Don't be in such a hurry… Take a few extra minutes, you'll get towards your destination safely, and we can carry on and enjoy our families." Carter emphasised the responsibility drivers have, especially when children are passengers, noting, "When you're looking at a 5-year-old child that's depending on you to get to that destination safely, you know, they're depending on you."
This tragic event coincides with concerning findings from a Road Safety Week survey conducted by Slater and Gordon. The survey revealed that 44% of adults believe their local streets are dangerous, while over half (55%) feel roads in their area have become more dangerous over the last year.
Alarmingly, nearly one in five (19.4%) witness dangerous driving multiple times a day. Matthew Tomlinson, head of serious injury north at the law firm, commented, "Dangerous driving isn't rare, it's happening daily in communities across the UK. Every day, our serious injury team sees the devastating impact of road traffic collisions, from life-changing injuries to families torn apart."
