Hurt kids show up at Texas home, leading cops to site of fatal ATV crash, officials say

Two people died after an ATV crashed into a shallow canal, trapping the driver and a passenger, Texas officials say.

Deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office were alerted to the ATV crash at about 6:50 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, the office said in a news release.

A 911 caller said two girls had just shown up at his home, injured and pleading for help, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies learned the girls were involved in an apparent ATV accident with two other people.

The caller’s wife drove the girls to an area hospital while deputies went to the scene of the crash, near Lake Edinburg, according to the sheriff’s office.

They arrived to find an ATV lying on its side in a canal, submerged in 2 to 3 feet of water, with two females trapped inside, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies pulled them free and started life-saving efforts before they were taken from the scene by ambulance, according to the sheriff’s office. But both of the occupants were pronounced dead at the hospital, deputies said.

They were 17 and 18 years old, officials told KVEO.

After speaking with the two girls who survived, investigators believe the driver “lost control” of the ATV and plunged into the canal.

An autopsy has been ordered for the driver and passenger who died, the sheriff’s office said, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

Lake Edinburg is roughly 15 miles north of McAllen.

This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Hurt kids show up at Texas home, leading cops to site of fatal ATV crash, officials say."