Latest news with #JoseHernandez
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Mineral Wells High School senior killed in crash that injured 5 other people
A Mineral Wells High School student was killed and two other students in the same vehicle were injured Friday night in a two-car crash in Hood County, according to school district officials and the Texas Highway Patrol. A woman, a man and a 2-year-old girl from Lubbock who were in the other car also were hospitalized, investigators said. 'We are heartbroken to share that three of our Mineral Wells High School students were involved in a tragic car accident,' Mineral Wells ISD said in a statement on social media.. 'With deep sorrow, we confirm that Jose Hernandez, a senior at MWHS, lost his life in the accident.' A Texas Department of Public Safety report identified the two students who were hospitalized as 18-year-olds George Velazquez and Korbin Williams. 'Jose Hernandez was loved by many,' according to a GoFundMe page to help his family with funeral expenses. 'He was always surrounded by family and friends. He was kind, funny, and compassionate; he was always there for whoever needed him.' 'He was 4 days away from graduation,' a family member wrote on the fundraising site. 'He had so many plans for when he was done with school. He was so excited and ready to walk that stage. One of his plans was to be a welder when he finished high school. He was a kid that wanted to chase his dreams and never give up. He loved the Cowboys; he was a football fanatic. Remember him as the wonderful person he was.' Counselors will be available on the high school campus on Tuesday. 'We ask that you join us in keeping all of the students and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this time of unimaginable grief,' the school district said in its post. According to the investigating state trooper's report, the three students were in a Ford Explorer headed northwest on FM 4 when the driver lost control in a curve in the road and crossed into oncoming traffic, where the Explorer collided with a Kia Telluride SUV. Hernandez, 19, was pronounced dead, and the other two students were taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. Also injured in the crash were 34-year-old Marlen Banuelos, 34-year-old Samuel Fry and 2-year-old Amayah Fry.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
One killed, 5 injured, including 2-year-old, in Hood County crash
The Brief One person was killed, and five others injured in a Hood County crash Saturday night when a Ford Explorer struck a Kia Telluride. A 19-year-old passenger in the Explorer, not wearing a seatbelt, died after their vehicle reportedly lost control on a curve on FM 4. Survivors from both vehicles were hospitalized. The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the fatal crash. HOOD COUNTY, Texas - One person was killed, and five others were injured in a Hood County crash on Saturday night. Dig deeper The Texas Department of Public Safety says the crash happened around 10:30 p.m. on FM 4. A 2004 Ford Explorer pickup was traveling north on the road while a 2024 Kia Telluride was traveling south. Texas DPS says the Explorer lost control while going around a curve and went over the double yellow lines, into the Telluride's lanes. The Kia hit the Explorer's passenger side. Jose Hernandez, a 19-year-old from Mineral Wells who was a passenger in the Explorer at the time of the crash, was killed. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to DPS. Two 18-year-olds in the Explorer were taken to the hospital in Fort Worth. Two 34-year-olds and a 2-year-old from Lubbock who were in the Telluride were also taken to hospital. The crash is under investigation. What they're saying Mineral Wells ISD released a statement honoring Hernandez via their social media page. The Source Information in this article comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Additional information was provided by Mineral Wells ISD Facebook page.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Forsyth County family mourns 4-year-old killed in ATV wreck
A Forsyth County family is grieving the loss of 4-year-old Ricardo 'Ricky' Hernandez after a tragic ATV crash on Sunday evening. According to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened around 7:45 p.m. on Valley Stream Drive near Campground Road. Investigators say a 16-year-old boy was driving an ATV with Ricky as a passenger when he attempted to make a sharp right turn at a high speed. The vehicle overturned, throwing both boys from the ATV. Neither was wearing a helmet. Emergency crews arrived to find Ricky unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The teen driver was taken to North Fulton Medical Center, where he spent time in the ICU before being released earlier this week. TRENDING STORIES: Ronald Acuña Jr. hits long homer on first pitch in his return to Braves after missing 1 year Showers, storms ahead for Memorial Day weekend Murder suspect shoots girlfriend in head in East Point, goes on 2-state crime spree, police say The sheriff's office said the crash remains under investigation by its Traffic Specialist Unit. The accident occurred during what was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the Hernandez family — a high school graduation celebration. Ricky's older brother, Jose Hernandez, says the 4-year-old was full of life and joy, especially when riding his own mini-ATV. 'He loved dinosaurs, monster trucks, and of course all the ATV stuff,' Jose Hernandez said. 'Every morning, you could just hear the little electric thing going, zooming by.' Now, a memorial grows in the neighborhood to honor Ricky, whose infectious smile and energy touched many. 'He was just so caring and happy, and he wants everybody to be like that,' Jose Hernandez said. 'He might be gone, but he's never going to be forgotten.' In the days following the crash, neighbors and community members have stepped in to help, providing meals and emotional support. A A GoFundMe has also been launched to help the family with funeral and medical expenses.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Safety device in Honda ended up MAIMING driver after crash...and he's now won $3 million
A Florida man won a $3 million lawsuit after his Honda's airbag inflator exploded in a crash - launching shards of metal that sliced through his arm. Jose Hernandez was severely hurt in a December 2020 vehicle collision that should have only caused minor injuries, his attorneys have claimed. Hernandez was making a left turn down a Miami road in his 2005 Honda Civic when another vehicle rammed into his. The impact triggered the Honda's Takata airbag inflator, but it malfunctioned and blew up, sending shrapnel inches deep into Hernandez's right arm. Hernandez decided to demand justice for himself and sued the Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund, which was formed after Takata went bankrupt in the midst of the airbag scandal, in 2022. Miami-Dade jurors ruled in Hernandez's favor in court on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. has reached out to the fund for comment on the verdict. Takata airbags have an extensive history of fatal mishaps, with at least 28 deaths and more than 400 injuries in the US being linked to them since 2009. Stephanie Erdman, a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force, of Florida, was among those whose lives were changed for the worse by the defective devices. Her eye and neck were pierced by sharp pieces of metal from the Takata airbag inflator in her 2002 Honda Civic when she crashed the car in 2013. 'When the impact occurred, shrapnel from my car's airbag inflator shot through the airbag cloth and embedded in my right eye and neck,' Erdman said at a 2014 US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Hearing. 'I was instantly blind on my right side. And then I felt gushing blood. It was terrifying. I thought I was going to bleed out. 'I should have gotten a few bumps and bruises like the passenger in my car. I should not have been injured in the shocking and terrifying way that I was.' Across the globe, 36 people have died in connection to the faulty safety devices, sparking wide-scale recalls affecting 19 car companies that began in 2013. More than 67 million airbags have been called back across the US and more than 100 million have been recalled globally, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Japanese manufacturer used ammonium nitrate to make a tiny explosion to inflate the airbag. But heat and humidity alter the chemical, resulting in the overly forceful explosions that cost people their lives. In 2017, the Takata Corporation pleaded guilty to wire fraud and agreed to pay $1 billion in penalties for selling the defective devices. In addition to the hefty sum of cash, Takata established two restitution funds - one worth $125 million for people injured by the airbags and a $850 million fund for auto companies who suffered financial losses because of the recalls. 'Automotive suppliers who sell products that are supposed to protect consumers from injury or death must put safety ahead of profits,' US Attorney Barbara McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan said in a press release at the time. 'If they choose instead to engage in fraud, we will hold accountable the individuals and business entities who are responsible.' Takata had been falsifying product-safety data for more than a decade, Fraud Section Chief Andrew Weissman claimed. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Takata executives admitted they knew that from at least 2000, the company's inflators were not meeting standards set by automakers. They were also reportedly aware of the chance of deadly explosions, as ruptures occurred during testing. Takata opted to ignore the red flags, allegedly submitting fraudulent reports that the inflators were good to go. Three executives who left the company in 2015 were each indicted and charged in connection to the scheme. Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima, and Tsuneo Chikaraishi were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. While losing business and being slammed with both class action and individual lawsuits, Takata filed for bankruptcy in 2017. The following year, CEO Shigehisa Takada officially resigned and Takata was taken over by American company Key Safety Systems, now known as Joyson Safety Systems. More than a decade since the airbags were recalled, roughly six million cars in America still have the hazardous devices. 'Even after a decade of a dedicated and committed effort by the vehicle manufacturers, government, nonprofits and businesses, it's concerning that so many affected vehicles continue to be driven on US roads with these potentially dangerous airbags sitting inside,' Faisal Hasan, Carfax general manager for data said last May. 'It's easy to see recall fatigue settle in for many consumers, but they need to act. 'Getting an airbag replaced is quick, free to them, and could save the life of a loved one – or their own.'
CBS News
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
South Florida man awarded $3 million for injuries from defective Takata airbag
A South Florida jury has awarded $3 million to a man who was severely injured by a defective airbag in a 2020 crash. Miami-Dade jurors reached a verdict for Jose Hernandez on Thursday, according to court records. Hernandez had filed a lawsuit in 2022 against Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund, which was formed during Takata's bankruptcy. Details of the 2020 crash Hernandez was driving his 2005 Honda Civic in Miami in December 2020 when another vehicle hit him as he tried to make a left turn, his attorneys said. The collision should have caused only minor injuries, but the car's Takata airbag inflator improperly exploded, shooting a piece of metal shrapnel several inches long into Hernandez's right arm, the lawsuit said. Attorneys for the Takata trust didn't immediately respond to an email Monday seeking comment. Broader impact of Takata airbag defects At least 28 deaths have been linked to Takata airbag inflators in the U.S. and at least 36 worldwide, according to regulators. More than 400 people in the U.S. have been hurt. Large-scale recalls began in 2013. Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time due to high heat and humidity and explode with too much force. That can blow apart a metal canister and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment.
