Report details allegations against man for crash that killed Windthorst teen
A Graham man charged Tuesday in connection with the crash-related death of 18-year-old Kaybree Ann Coleman of Windthorst is accused of speeding, not paying attention and failing to slow down, according to court documents.
Coleman, a high school student, died at the hospital after being thrown from her Nissan during the three-vehicle wreck Oct. 20, 2023, on U.S. Highway 281 a half mile north of Windthorst in Archer County, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Florencio Ramirez Garcia, 65, was arrested Tuesday by the troopers with the Texas Highway Patrol for a charge of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the teen's death, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety media release.
Ramirez Garcia was being held Tuesday in the Archer County Jail on a $300,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony punishable by up to two years behind bars. Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
What happened in the three-vehicle crash?
A trooper who came upon the crash while on patrol wrote an affidavit detailing the investigation. The affidavit and media release painted a picture of the allegations against Ramirez Garcia.
A state trooper was traveling north on U.S. Highway 281 about 12:30 p.m. when he drove up on a three-vehicle crash by the turn-in to a Dollar General off the highway, according to allegations.
Witnesses said a 2019 Nissan Kicks, driven by Coleman, was in the northbound lane waiting to turn left into the Dollar General parking lot.
A 2020 Ford F-250, driven by Ramirez Garcia, was northbound when it hit the rear end of the Nissan, pushing it into oncoming traffic in the southbound lane, according to allegations.
Then a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu, traveling south and driven by Autumn Jaclynn Roach, 21, of Fort Worth, hit the Nissan on the driver's side, and Coleman was thrown from the vehicle, according to allegations.
The 18-year-old was transported to United Regional Health Care System. She later died at URHCS. In autopsy results, the medical examiner noted she died from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.
Video provides evidence of the wreck that resulted in Kaybree Coleman's death
The trooper obtained security footage of the crash from Big T Distributing. The video shows the Nissan turn on its left turn signal and come to a complete stop, yielding to oncoming traffic.
After several seconds, the Ford pickup enters the frame, appearing to be traveling at a high rate of speed and never touching the brakes, according to allegations.
The collision between the Nissan and the Ford does not appear on the video. Within seconds, the Nissan slides sideways, and the teen appears on the roadway, having apparently been thrown from her vehicle.
A Nov. 2 video crash speed analysis at the scene used security footage and showed the Ford pickup traveled at 69 mph on average. That is 14 mph over the posted 55 mph speed limit.
Law enforcement interview with Florencio Ramirez Garcia
About 10 a.m. Jan. 17, DPS Sgt. Juan Gutierrez and a trooper interviewed Ramirez Garcia with Gutierrez translating.
Ramirez Garcia told them he was not paying enough attention to the road and was looking for signs because he knows the speed limit changes after leaving Windthorst.
He said more than once the Nissan was not using a turn signal, but it is visible in the security footage, according to allegations. He told Gutierrez and the trooper he believed the crash happened because the turn signal was not on, and that he was going 45 mph to 50 mph. The Nov. 2 analyzation shows that is not true.
It is unknown if the teen was wearing a seatbelt, according to a DPS media release.
Roach, Ramirez Garcia and his passenger, Atanacia Ramirez, 61, of Graham were not injured in the crash, according to the DPS. They wore seatbelts.
Support for Kaybree Coleman's family
On Oct. 28 in an outpouring of support, community members pulled together to have a benefit for the Windthorst ISD senior's family at the Archer City Volunteer Fire Department.
Her family is well known in the area, and her parents are Archer County Deputy Justin Coleman and Kelly Coleman.
Windthorst school officials canceled volleyball games scheduled the day of her death as students and staff mourned her tragic loss.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Allegations detailed against man accused in Windthorst teen's death
