Six Dead in Texas Lake Tragedy

L E W I S V I L L E, Texas , April 9 -- Investigators are trying to find out what caused a car to roll through a barricade intoLake Lewisville, killing six of the seven peopleinside.

Police in the suburb north of Dallas briefly detained BrunoSanchez Martinez, 23, who escaped from the submerged Ford Tauruslate Sunday, for questioning.

Witnesses said Martinez had told them shortly after emergingfrom the lake that he was teaching his son to drive, but policesaid they did not know why the car plunged into the lake about 9:30p.m. local time.

"I'm unable to answer that. I don't know where that camefrom," said Richard Douglass, a spokesman for the LewisvillePolice Department. "We are investigating what happened out thereas an accident."

Police are also trying to find out if alcohol played a role in the mishap.

The car drove through a barricade — a row of upright stakesabout 3 feet tall and about one-third as thick as a telephonepole — before driving into the lake, Douglass said. The car waspulled from the lake about 90 minutes later.

The man still strapped in his seat behind the steering wheel wasin his 30s, investigators said.

Searching for Clues

Today, investigators were looking for skid marks or otherevidence that the driver braked before the car entered the water.Evidence of alcohol was found in the vehicle, police said, but itwas unclear if it played a role in the accident.

"We won't know until we get toxicology tests back from themedical examiner's office," Douglass said.

Killed in the accident were Martinez's wife, Augustina Martinez,21; Anahi Itsel Martinez, 8 months, and Jesus Daniel Martinez, 19months. Also killed were the driver; his 22-year-old wife; and agirl believed to be between 13 and 15.

Martinez was in the front passenger seat when the car drove intothe lake.

A spokeswoman for Medical Center of Lewisville said Martinez'swife was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m.

The infant and toddler died after they were flown by helicopterto Children's Medical Center of Dallas, said Gary Pfeiffer, a fieldagent with the Dallas County medical examiner's office.