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Daughters orphaned after suspected drunk driver kills parents on I-45

Daughters orphaned after suspected drunk driver kills parents on I-45.

FERRIS, TX—An Oak Cliff family is in pieces after a suspected drunk driver hit and killed two parents last month while they were trying to change a tire on the roadside of I-45 in Ellis County.

The two were heading to the drive-in movie theater outside of Ennis with their two daughters—both are under the age of 12.

Teresa’s brother, Mickey Cabrera, says that the family would often go to the movies at the drive-in.

“They would go there probably once a month,” Cabrera said. “They would always go together. No matter what, they were always together.”

On the way to the drive-in, investigators say that the family needed to change a tire. As Roberto and Teresa started to put on a spare, police say they were struck by a car.

Police say 23-year-old Kaitlin Eagle was behind the wheel.

The children inside the car were ok, but Roberto and Teresa died at the hospital. Cabrera found out when his nieces called him after the wreck.

“They said that mommy and daddy were on the floor, and weren't moving,” Cabrera said. “The doctor left me alone with my brother-in-law, and that’s when it hit me. You know, I see these people every weekend.”

Arrest documents say that Eagle was at a bar in Dallas prior to the crash, and was hospitalized after the crash. Investigators obtained a sample of her blood and found that it was three times over the legal limit.

That fact didn’t sit well with Cabrera.

“When they told me she was drunk, I was angry,” he said. “This girl took my nieces’ parents away, and they’re still little—they need their parents.”

Eagle is currently being held in the Ellis County Jail on two counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle.

Her bond is $1,500,000.

Arrest documents say Eagle was in a crash in July on I-45, and that it was “remarkably similar” to the one involving the Leons.

The case is being handled by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and investigators are still waiting for a blood sample from Eagle to be analyzed at a DPS laboratory in Austin.

As for Cabrera, he and other family members are now raising his nieces.

The 26-year-old says it’s not going to be an easy task and hopes people think of his family’s situation before drinking and driving.

“If they hit someone, they don't know who they're taking,” Cabrera said.

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