A fun-filled family trip to see Christmas lights at the Texas Motor Speedway turned into tragedy in 2015 because of a driver who was texting behind the wheel.
Brother and sister Alex Trejo, 23, and Gabbi Estelle, 19, were killed when the family car they were in came to a stop in traffic on a North Texas highway and a texting driver behind them rammed into them at about 70 miles per hour. Their parents Dee Davila-Estelle and Kevin Estelle were hospitalized with serious injuries, while their brother, 18-year-old Zachary Estelle, escaped with minor cuts and bruises.
“We were laughing, giggling, singing Christmas songs, and then the next thing I know is I blacked out,” said Zachary.
The family bonded over their love of music, and had planned to go Christmas caroling through their neighborhood that next week. Alex played guitar and dreamed of being a musician, while Gabbi wanted to become a photographer.
Instead of what should have been a joyous time of holiday celebration in their community, Alex and Gabbi’s family and friends gathered in the hospital where Dee and Kevin were still recuperating to sing carols at their bedside in memory of their children.
“We went out as a family of five, but came home a broken family of three because someone decided that a text was more important than a life,” said their mother Dee.
The Estelle family now works to share their story with lawmakers and families to try to prevent further tragedies with laws and safety campaigns that spread awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. Their story and that of other grieving families helped convince Texas lawmakers to pass a law banning drivers from using handheld devices behind the wheel in 2017.