5 kids hurt in crash with accused drunken driver; passenger says they'd been drinking

One child was critically injured after being thrown from an SUV and another was severely injured. Three other children were also hospitalized

Five children were hurt in a hit-and-run crash along Ledbetter Road Saturday, including a 4-year-old who was ejected from the vehicle. The driver who ran from the crash was later taken into custody and is facing drunken driving charges, police say.

At about 10 p.m. Saturday, Dallas police were called to a car crash involving two cars and nine passengers in the 1900 block of W Ledbetter Road.

Police said a 26-year-old woman driving an SUV was hit by a sedan traveling at a high rate of speed at the intersection of Ledbetter and Rugged Drive, police said. The woman and another adult were in the SUV, along with five children.

Upon impact, a 4-year-old boy, who was not in a child safety seat, was ejected from the SUV. Dallas Fire-Rescue said they transported him to a local hospital in critical condition. Another 5-year-old boy suffered serious injuries and was also transported to a local hospital. The remaining three children were transported to the hospital in stable condition. According to the report, the female driver and adult male passenger were not injured.

Police said the driver of the sedan, identified as 20-year-old Jose Castro, was driving with a passenger when the collision occurred.

Castro and his passenger ran from the crash without providing medical treatment or identification. Police said they later apprehended Castro and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

PASSENGER SAYS THEY DRANK 4 BEERS MINUTES BEFORE THE CRASH

According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC 5 on Monday, Dallas police said Jose Castro ran a red light and caused the crash with the SUV.

The passenger in Castro's Chevrolet Malibu told police they were driving southbound on Rugged Drive when Castro thought a driver in front of them "brake checked" them. The passenger told police that Castro had accelerated and gone around the red vehicle at about 60 mph and that he had told him to slow down.

Castro then ran the red light at Ledbetter, police said, and slammed into an SUV passing through the intersection.

The passenger told police that after the crash, Castro told him to run, and they did. He told police they'd each had four glass bottles of Corona about 10-15 minutes before leaving Castro's apartment.

A witness to the crash said he saw a black Chevy Malibu appear to be racing a red car. He said he lost sight of the Malibu, but moments later, he happened upon the crash scene. He said he saw Castro already standing outside of the vehicle and the passenger exiting the car. The witness told police he told them to stay at the scene because people had been injured, but they ran.

Castro was later found by a police dog about 400 feet away, hiding in the bushes in front of a house on White Dove Drive, police said.

Police said they talked to Castro at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and he waived his right to an attorney. They said he initially denied driving but admitted to being behind the wheel when police said the passenger had a seatbelt mark consistent with being in the passenger seat.

Castro told police he'd last eaten at about 10 a.m. Saturday morning and had two beers between 6 p.m. and about 7 p.m. Saturday night, about three hours before the crash. He said he was not feeling the effects of alcohol and that he felt safe to drive. Police said after a field sobriety test, they believe he was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Castro, police said, later consented to a blood test. The results of that blood test are not yet confirmed.

Castro is facing two charges of intoxication assault with a vehicle, two charges of a collision involving serious bodily injury, and two charges of a collision involving injury. Castro is also being held on an immigration hold. He is currently being held on bonds totaling $120,000.

Dangerous and sometimes deadly crashes along Ledbetter/Loop 12 have been the focus of an NBC 5 investigation for much of this year. To read more on this ongoing series of reports, click here.