HOUSTON — One of the people who helped respond to a fatal wrong-way crash this week shared his account of what happened in an exclusive interview with KHOU 11.
Michael Alonzo was driving along I-45 in the early morning hours Monday morning when he arrived at the scene of a wrong-way crash.
“I could kind of hear screams, from the family that was trapped inside,” Alonzo said. “So, I immediately pulled over, jumped out and just rendered as much aid as I could.”
Alonzo, an Iraq War veteran, told KHOU 11 his training to handle crisis situations kicked in.
“I knew we had to act,” Alonzo said. “We had to act fast.”
Inside the vehicle Alonzo and others focused on, were parents Dario and Brittany Munive along with their children, DJ and Mila. The family was coming back to the Houston area after a softball tournament in Dallas. The vehicle was on its side from the impact of the crash.
“Six other guys started to organize to push the vehicle over and then I kind of just gave them another set of hands,” Alonzo said. “We got the vehicle over and opened the door.”
Alonzo was among those who helped get Dario Munive out of the vehicle.
“He said, ‘take care of my family first, make sure my son and my daughter were okay and my wife,'” Alonzo said.
The Munive family was taken to a hospital where Brittany and DJ were pronounced dead.
“Their family was not able to be there for Brittany, the mother and DJ, the son,” Alonzo said. “But strangers were, you know, nobody left their side, they were there, they were comforted the entire time.”
While recovery from pain, trauma and loss continues, Alonzo said he takes comfort in the inspiring action of others to help complete strangers.
“Seeing so many people take the initiative and take it upon themselves to be out there and to help people that have no idea, just that they’re in trouble, it’s comforting to know that people will be there for you,” Alonzo said.
The suspected wrong-way driver, Michael Anthony Arguijo, faces two charges of intoxicated manslaughter.