4 still in hospital, 2 critical, from deadly drag race crash

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Four people remained hospitalized Monday, two in critical condition, after a weekend drag racing crash in the Texas Hill Country that killed two children, police said.

The crash happened during a Saturday racing event on a runway at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, about 50 miles (85 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.

In a statement Monday, Kerrville police said two women — a 27-year-old from Taylor, Texas, and a 46-year-old from Converse, Texas — were in critical condition at University Hospital in San Antonio.

Meantime, race car driver Michael Gonzales, 34, of Fort Worth, was in stable condition Monday at a San Antonio hospital. A 26-year-old man was in stable condition at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin.

Two other adults were treated for minor injuries at the crash scene and released, and a four-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl were examined at a Kerrville hospital and released.

Police were not releasing the identities of the two boys, ages 6 and 8, killed in the crash.

The crash happened as Gonzalez was racing his 1990 Ford Mustang when he began to lose control halfway down the 1/8-mile track laid out on one of the airport runways, according to the police statement. The car started to fishtail before sliding out of control off the runway and into a grassy area from which spectators were watching.

The vehicle struck multiple spectators before hitting a trailer and coming to a stop.

Thousands attended the organized event, which involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash.