A Texas father crashed his car while speeding at 100 miles per hour, then ran away—leaving his badly injured wife and four children at the scene, according to Houston police.
The crash happened Tuesday night on Yale Street in Houston. The man was driving a Ford Expedition at more than twice the speed limit when a Chevy Avalanche turned into a gas station in front of him.
The Ford crashed into the Chevy, launching into the air before flipping into a ditch. An eight-year-old girl, the oldest child, was thrown from the vehicle upon impact.
The Chevy, which carried a man and a woman, ended up in the guardrail.
Instead of helping his family, the father ran away, police said.
He reportedly jumped out of the wrecked vehicle, ran down the street, and got into another car that drove him away.
“He trampled over the babies and the momma and all. She was bleeding everywhere. He took off running,” John McCoy, the driver of the Chevy, told ABC 13.
Houston Police Captain Ryan Watson said investigators are looking for the man.
“I have no idea what was going through his mind. Maybe there was another reason he felt he needed to flee,” Watson said. “We will track him down and get answers.”
The mother and children were taken to nearby hospitals.
Two were in critical but stable condition, while three others were in serious but stable condition as of Tuesday night.
The youngest children appeared to be toddlers, Watson said.
Police noted that while the Chevy made an illegal turn, the Ford’s extreme speed made the crash unavoidable.
McCoy and his passenger remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
“I checked my mirror before turning. I didn’t see anything,” McCoy said. “Next thing I know, BANG! They drive like it’s a freeway.”
As the father ran off, McCoy and others tried to help the injured family.
People online have called the father’s actions “cowardly” and “shameful.”
Houston police are still searching for him.