Husband, wife celebrating birthday killed in wrong-way crash
HOUSTON -- A couple killed in a triple fatality crash Sunday morning were leaving a birthday celebration with relatives when a wrong-way driver crashed into them.
It happened in the early morning hours on I45 southbound at the Hardy Toll Road. Jackie and Patrick Delane were in a white Mercedes. They just left IHOP where they were eating with relatives and celebrating Patrick's 50th birthday, which would have been Monday.
Adam Bonilla, 32, was driving his Dodge Charger north in the southbound lanes and crashed into them, according to the Texas Department of Public safety. All three died at the scene.
RAW VIDEO: Jam cams show scene of deadly crash
Jeanette Crawford, Jackie's sister, and other relatives left the restaurant after the Delane's and saw the wreckage.
"So, I'm passing it and everybody is passing it and we see all the wreckage and we see a white car. We said 'oh my god!'" she said.
Returning to see if it was her sister's car, Jeannette was stopped by an officer for speeding.
"I told him I was sorry but that was my sister and he said, 'oh' and he hugged me," she said. "I told him, I said 'just tell me. Just tell me how they're doing. Just tell me something.'"
The officer told Jeannette her sister and brother-in-law did not survive.
Jackie's son, Bryson Brown, was in north Texas and he rushed to the area.
"[My mom] was my best friend. She knew everything about me she would never judge," he said.
Patrick's daughter, Melanie Delane, said she's just beginning to understand the loss.
"I have a lot of questions to answer to their grandchildren," she said.
Family members said they will remember Patrick and Jackie as a couple deeply in love. They enjoyed traveling and celebrating any and every event they could, from holidays and birthdays to football games and more.
The grieving relatives said they hope others can learn from this loss.
"You should say I love you. I love you sister. I love you brother. I love you friend. I love you cousin. And learn to forgive and forget, because life is short," Crawford said.
It's not yet clear why Bonilla was going the wrong way but DPS said it is investigating to see whether alcohol played a role. Bonilla reached speeds up to 100 miles per hour, a DPS spokesman said.
