Funerals to be held for 5 Dallas women killed in crash

DALLAS – Five Dallas women grew up together in the metroplex. Now, all five of their funerals are being held this week.

The familes of the victims are still reeling from the Burnet County crash that claimed the lives of five friends, sisters and daughters. 

Burnet County crash victim funerals

The latest:

Brothers Sal and Kaleb Salinas spoke with FOX 4 Wednesday about their younger sister, 23-year-old Thalia Salinas, seen in the above photo smiling at her nephew’s first birthday in July.

Sal and Kaleb say their family’s home now feels empty without Thalia, who they would usually see every day. They say they miss her bright smile and infectious laugh.

The Salinas’ home is now filled with flowers, and the girls’ pictures in frames.

This week, the funerals for all five Dallas women, who were friends since childhood, are set to be held.

What they’re saying:

“You go to the lake house and see the cops and it’s reality. It sinks in. See how devastated everyone was. My mom devastated, and my dad. It was very hard,” said Sal.

Burnet County crash victims

Fiery crash in Central Texas

The backstory:

 All five women were together in a vehicle driving down from Dallas to Kingsland in Central Texas. The crash site was just 20 minutes away from their final destination.

Thalia was saving the next weekend to celebrate her own birthday with a lake weekend in Central Texas with her whole family and her four childhood best friends.

Brianna Valadez, Ruby Cruz, Jackie Velazco, and Desiree Cervantes rode as passengers while Thalia drove.

The five Dallas women never made it to the lake house, all killed in a fiery crash along Highway 281 in Burnet County.

Texas DPS says a Ram truck pulling a horse trailer veered into oncoming traffic, first slamming into a Chevrolet Malibu head on and then a Mercedes SUV. The girls were in the SUV, which flipped and burst into flames.

The truck eventually crashed into a fence. DPS troopers say the driver, later identified as 37-year-old Kody Talley, ditched his truck, refused medical treatment, and left the scene.

Talley was arrested Tuesday and is now charged with five counts of manslaughter.

According to the crash report, Talley was never tested for drugs or alcohol on the day of the crash.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 interviews with involved parties. 

Dallas