Family mourns victim of holiday drunk driving crash: “We just want justice”

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    DENTON COUNTY, Texas (KTVT) — Friday night, Alvaro Romero was enjoying a night out with his wife and brother-in-law, Douglas Gonzales.

“This man right here,” said Romero, “he’s my brother-in-law, but more than that – he was like my brother.”

They were headed home, traveling south on I-35.

“All I feel was the huge impact from the back and then we went from the middle of the freeway all the way to the service road to the other side,” Romero said.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, Denton police spotted a Dodge Charger on I-35 swerving in and out of lanes and driving without headlights. When the officers tried to pull the driver over, he took off, reaching speeds over 100 mph.

Just a few seconds later, that Charger slammed into the back of the car that Romero, his wife and brother-in-law were in.

“Automatically I just went to grab his hand and I was like, ‘Douglas, Douglas, come on brother,'” said Romero.

Gonzales, who was sleeping in the back seat, was killed in the crash.

“I can’t express the pain I feel in my heart,” Romero said. “I can’t express the pain I feel for my sister, for my whole family.”

The driver of the Charger, 18-year-old Jonathan Vargas, is facing charges of intoxication manslaughter and evading arrest/detention with vehicle causes serious bodily injury or death.

“All we wanna do is make sure the law does what they need to do and they punish that guy the way they need to punish him,” Romero said. “That’s what we want. We just want justice.”

Romero still can’t believe the man he called his best friend is gone.

“A great, great father, a great person,” said Romero. “The type of person that can help you out in any time. I know people say a lot of things about people when they pass away but trust me, this was the man that he was. A really great man, a father, a cousin a brother. He was an amazing guy.”

Still in disbelief, Romero sent Gonzales this final text message Saturday morning telling him he loved him and will miss him.

“It’s just unbelievable. I still cannot believe it,” Romero said. “I am still waiting for a text from him.”

The family hopes their heartbreak serves as a warning about the deadly consequences of drinking and driving.

“There’s a reason why you can call an Uber, you can call a ride, whatever,” said Romero. “Call a friend. Don’t let anybody else go through what we’re going through right now, please… It’s hard, it’s hard for families.”

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