Van Zandt County Teen Charged With Manslaughter After Crash

Get our free mobile app

An 18-year-old Canton teenager was killed in a car crash Friday morning from an intentional action by another driver.

This horrific event could have been avoided if the other driver involved had not tried to 'scare' the driver of the on-coming car by his actions on FM 1651 in Van Zandt County this past Friday morning. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety Taylor Raper, 18 of Canton, passed away at a Tyler hospital from injuries sustained in the accident. The other driver, Alfonso Medina, 17 of Canton was listed in serious condition at the same hospital and his passenger, Rachel Bice of Canton was listed in stable condition at a Canton hospital after the incident.

From the preliminary investigation from DPS, Medina was about 10 miles outside of Canton traveling westbound on FM 1651 when he recognized the vehicle coming towards him to be that of Raper, who was traveling eastbound. He decided he was going to scare her by crossing over the centerline. After crossing over the centerline, Medina did not have enough time to correct and get back into his lane and that's when the left front side of each vehicle collided and crashed.

17-year-old Medina was arrested by Van Zandt County Sheriff's officers on Monday and booked into the Van Zandt County Detention Center and charged with manslaughter for the death of Taylor Raper and held on $525,000 bond. He was also charged with providing a false statement to law enforcement.

There is a GoFund Me account set up to assist the Raper family with funeral arrangements.

21 Texas Children 14 And Younger Have Gone Missing In 2021

There are families right now worrying about where their beloved children are. Look closely to see if you recognize any of these missing Texas children that are 14 and younger.

A Big Sandy Boy Among The 50 Missing Kids From Texas In September

These 50 Texas children were reported missing during the month of September according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The Killers Behind These 5 Texas Cold Cases Still Roam Free

Visit These 16 Texas Cities And Towns At Least Once As A Texan

It's a fact that Texas is a huge state and because of its size, there are also a lot of things to see, visit and experience in The Lone Star State. Both Texas visitors and Texans alike should visit our awesome cities and attractions. By no means are these all the activities in these wonderful cities. They're just a few examples of things to do.

This Fredericksburg, TX Airbnb Is Like Something 'Straight Out Of A Horror Movie'

We all may remember the house from Nightmare on Elm Street or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When you think of these, you don't exactly get all warm and fuzzy inside. Instead, it's more like a lump in your throat or stomach-sinking feeling. Unfortunately, for some travelers, this is the feeling they're getting when they pull up to this home in Fredericksburg, Texas. By the looks of the place from the outside, I get it.