SAN ANTONIO – Members of a local youth football league are rallying behind one of their fellow players who was critically injured in a fatal accident early Monday morning in South Bexar County.
The accident happened around 1 a.m. Monday on Highway 181 near Laguna road.
According to Bexar County Sheriff's investigators, a suspected drunk driver struck a car from behind, killing 58-year-old Peter Castillo and ejecting 7-year-old Angel Castillo from the vehicle.
Castillo was airlifted to University Hospital where friends of the family said he remains in ICU.
Castillo is a player on the Floresville Wildcats midget division football team.
News of the accident quickly spread through the community leading to an outpouring of support.
"The feelings that we felt first were just shock and then just a heavy heart," said Castillo's coach David Ortiz. "Football is the thing that connects us all but it's heartwarming to see we can put that all aside for a time and come together for a greater cause."
Eventually word spread through the entire Texas Youth Football Association prompting concern and well wishes for Castillo from teams all over Texas, from Austin to Houston and down to the Rio Grande Valley.
"Obviously they're offering their prayers and condolences, but basically anything that we could use or the family could need, they're willing to give," team president Tommy Bunn said.
While Castillo's team had already wrapped up their season, many of the players and their families attended an impromptu gathering at the football fields Monday night where they signed a helmet and football for Castillo that they hope to present to him soon.
It's a small gesture from the pee-wee players with big hearts.
"We all love him," Ortiz said. "We're praying and we're going to continue to pray and we believe we serve a mighty God and he's going to be able to walk through this and we'll see him next year here on this field."
