CHANNING, TEXAS -- Controversy continues to surround a highway tragedy that killed an Amarillo woman the day after Christmas near Channing. Eric Gomez was driving his wife and two daughters back home to Amarillo, when they were hit head-on by another vehicle driven by Colorado State Sen. Suzanne Williams.
Williams, who has pushed for tough child restraint laws in her state had two children and her adult son in her vehicle all were unrestrained.
A preliminary report by the Texas Department of Public Safety says Williams drove onto the wrong side of the road directly toward the Gomez family. Their only option was to swerve left at the same time Williams steered back toward her lane. The cars collided head-on.
Eric's wife Brianna, was seven months pregnant and was killed. Doctors delivered her premature son, now in critical condition. Williams was driving her son and two grandsons ages 7 and 3, she was the only one wearing a seatbelt.
The fact that none of her passengers were wearing seat belts has brought the Colorado lawmaker under-fire, along with the fact that she has fought for tougher seat belt laws in her state. Williams' attorney said that the children may have been unbuckled so they could put on pajamas. The crash ejected her 3-year-old grandson from the car. The report released by the DPS says that she moved the boy from the road back into his car seat before authorities arrived.
In a statement Williams said, "I cannot express the horror, sadness and grief I feel for an accident that will change forever the lives of a young family."
Whatever caused her to swerve into oncoming traffic remains a mystery. Her attorney says no drugs or alcohol were involved. Williams apparently has no memory of the crash.
But Eric Gomez will never forget. He told ABC news, "We lost a mother, a wife, it will be hard but we have a lot of people praying for us and we are going to keep our eyes focused on God."
