Mother charged with manslaughter Titus County crash

TITUS COUNTY — A woman was charged with manslaughter last week after allegedly killing her daughter in a crash back in June.

According to our news partner KETK and the Department of Public Safety crash report, Margarita Josefina Barrera was driving her 2013 Nissan westbound on FM 899 with her 4-year-old daughter sitting in the third row of the car. According to the report, Barrera was distracted while driving due to another passenger asking for the music to be turned up. DPS said that Barrera was using her phone while driving the vehicle and was failing to drive in a single lane. Due to her distracted driving, Barrea eventually veered off the road and attempted to re-enter the roadway. Her tire caught the edge of the asphalt, causing the vehicle to overturn to its right side. Barrera’s daughter was ejected from the car and later died at Children’s Hospital in Dallas.

Further investigation revealed that the booster seat Barrera’s daughter was sitting in was not appropriate for her age. Following the investigation, Barrera was charged with manslaughter on July 2.