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Family remembers victims of deadly Crockett County crash

Frank Tambunga spoke fondly about the kind of people his sister-in-law, Maria, and niece, Emilia, were.

CROCKETT COUNTY, Texas — It was Monday, March 13 when tragedy struck Frank Tambunga's family.

"That evening, I received a message saying there was a pursuit of a vehicle coming from Pecos, or the west, there was some highway patrols in pursuit of the vehicle that was transporting illegals," said Tambunga.

According to Texas DPS, law enforcement officers were in a high speed car pursuit after a car failed to stop. A preliminary DPS report shows that the driver in the pursuit, Rassian Comer, had 11 undocumented migrants in his pickup truck.

As Tambunga, who is the Crockett County Judge, began receiving message pertaining to this pursuit. He didn't realize it would have a direct impact on his family.

"They were coming down the off ramp and my sister in law and her granddaughter were at the intersection of 163 and 15th street," said Tambunga. "That vehicle that they were chasing was coming right at them and just ran straight into them."

Which resulted in the deaths of Frank's sister-in-law, Maria, and niece, Emilia.

Now just days after this tragic accident, he's remembering them both as caring, smart and selfless.

"To me, she was a strong lady, a very strong caring lady, I would say she would be there for anyone, doesn't matter who, especially family," Tambunga said. "She was really bright, she was a smart young lady. They'll be really missed for sure."

Funeral services for Maria and Emilia will be 11 a.m. Thursday, March 16, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, followed by procession to Cedar Hill Cemetery.

The wreck also killed two of the undocumented migrants.

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