Father charged in crash that killed 1 son, injured another was sober, officials say

HOUSTON – A man who was driving a vehicle that crashed Wednesday, killing one of his sons and injuring another, has been charged.

Fernande Carcamo, 30, was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault in connection with the crash on West Mount Houston Road near Acres Homes.

Investigators said Carcamo’s 8-year-old son died and his 5-year-old son was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Neither child was wearing a seat belt when the vehicle crashed into two tow trucks, investigators said.

Carcamo, who was hospitalized and listed in critical condition, was unable to attend his hearing Thursday, where prosecutors said the surviving child has a broken vertebra and traumatic brain injury.

On Wednesday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he believed Carcamo was intoxicated at the time of the crash. However, at Thursday's hearing, the judge said there was not enough evidence to charge him with driving under the influence.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying:

"Previous information at the scene of the crash erroneously stated that Carcamo was intoxicated; investigators now believe the signs and symptoms of impairment were related to medication given to him on scene by EMS (emergency medical services) personnel.

"Subsequent testing revealed Carcamo's blood alcohol content was well below the legal requirement."

Gonzalez said it appears that the father had just picked up the children from school because at least one of them was wearing a backpack.

Neither tow truck driver was injured in the crash, according to authorities.

Carcamo was ordered held in jail on $60,000 bond after he is released from the hospital.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect what transpired in court Thursday morning and removes most previous references to Gonzalez's statements of the father being intoxicated at the time of the crash.