Inset left: Majesti Faith Lee (Fort Bend County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Diego Pena Jr. and Lizbeth Rodriguez Contreras (GoFundMe). Background: The Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond, Tex. (Google Maps).
A tragic incident unfolded on a major Texas highway when a woman allegedly drove under the influence on the wrong side of the road, colliding with a young family of four and resulting in the deaths of three family members.
Majesti Faith Lee, aged 27, faces charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault following the heartbreaking event.
The collision took place during the early hours of Saturday morning.
At approximately 2 a.m., on the 11400 block of South Highway 99 near Houston, a family was traveling northward. The family included Lizbeth Rodriguez Contreras, 27, Diego Pena Jr., 26, their daughter Camila Pena, 5, and a 3-year-old son. Simultaneously, Lee was driving south.
In a devastating turn of events detailed in a statement from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Lee was reportedly “traveling southbound in the northbound lanes,” leading to the crash.
Tragically, Contreras and young Camila lost their lives at the scene. Diego Pena and his 3-year-old son were airlifted to a nearby hospital, where the father succumbed to his injuries. As of Wednesday, the young boy remained hospitalized, described as being in “critical but stable condition.”
Lee was also flown away from the scene to a local hospital — “with non-life-threatening injuries.” Investigators say they “determined alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash.”
The defendant was arrested and jailed on a bond of $1,050,000.
“Our hearts are with the family as they endure an unimaginable loss,” Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan said. “This tragedy is a painful reminder of how quickly lives can be changed when impaired driving occurs, and why making responsible choices behind the wheel is so critical.”
A GoFundMe set up for the victims says their families have “suffered unimaginable loss.”
The family was leaving a holiday party “when a wrong-way driver” struck them “and caused the sudden and devastating loss of lives,” the fundraiser adds, noting that the surviving child has “a long road to recovery.”
South Highway 99 runs around Houston and is one of the most significant roads in and around the city.
