Five young North Texas women killed in fiery crash near Austin during birthday trip: "They were inseparable"
CBS News Texas has learned the victims were all in their early 20s. The group was on a weekend trip to the Central Texas community of Kingsland to celebrate Thalia Salinas' 23rd birthday.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the head-on collision happened in Burnet County on U.S. 281 near Park Road. Investigators say a truck pulling a livestock trailer veered into oncoming traffic, striking several vehicles.
The car carrying the five women flipped and caught fire.
The victims have been identified as Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, Brianna Valadez, Desiree Cervantez, and Jacqueline Velazco. Thalia's family said the five were like sisters and had been friends since middle school.
"They were inseparable," a family member said. "They grew up together and did everything together."
In a statement, Thalia's family said: "Words can't describe how devastated we are. We were en route to celebrate Thalia's birthday in Kingsland, Texas, at her favorite place—on the lake—with all her favorite people. Then we got news of the girls passing away in the worst accident we could ever imagine. We will never recover from losing Thalia, Brianna, Ruby, Jackie and Desi."
DPS says the crash remains under investigation. No further details about the truck driver or potential charges have been released.
GoFundMe accounts have been established for each of the five families.
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