SAN ANTONIO – Two families experienced a devastating loss this Father's Day weekend when a young couple was killed in a wreck on the city's West Side.
Police said Nicholas Ramirez, 22, and his girlfriend Lauren Molina, 21, were killed when an allegedly drunken driver slammed into the car they were riding in on Saturday morning.
It happened on the access road of Southwest Loop 410 at Highway 151.
Police said Ramirez and Molina were wearing their seat belts in the back seat of a Mitsubishi Galant when the car was hit from behind.
"This is not real," said Criselda Ramirez, Nicholas Ramirez's mother. "I just don't believe that he's gone."
Criselda Ramirez and her husband Manuel Ramirez said they got a knock at the door about 6 a.m. and were told their son had been killed in a crash.
"He had just moved out to start his life and a drunk driver takes that all away from him," said Manuel Ramirez.
"You read about this every single day," said Criselda Ramirez. "Don't drink and drive and then they still do it, regardless. They don't care and it took my son away from me, my boy."
Nicholas Ramirez and Molina both worked at Cheddars off Southwest Loop 410.
His family said the young couple were getting a ride home with two other friends who also worked at the restaurant.
Those two friends, who were in the front seat of the Galant, were injured in the wreck and were taken to University Hospital.
Nicholas Ramirez's parents said Nicholas had five brothers and sisters, who are all having a hard time dealing with their brother's death.
They also said Nicholas was an organ donor, which shows he was still "giving" until the very end.
"Nicholas was a good boy," said Criselda Ramirez. "He was loved by many. He had a lot of friends. He was always polite and nice. He respected everyone."
As for the driver who hit the car carrying the four friends, police said she sustained minor injuries.
She has been identified as Sylvia Herrera, 26. She faces two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.