Ben and Meg Arbour of Fort Worth, both 39, were killed shortly after midnight Thursday when their vehicle was hit by a street racer as they returned home from a date, family and police say.
Fort Worth police reported that a vehicle with two passengers was pulling into the 4700 block of West Risinger Road when it was struck by one of two vehicles that were racing, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The striking vehicle, occupied only by the driver, hit a stone wall and flipped, police said.
The other motorist who was racing sped away and had not been found as of Friday, police told the Star-Telegram.
Witnesses called 911 and tried to help, but it was too late. All three people were pronounced dead on the scene, the Star-Telegram reported.
Among the witnesses was Frank Garcia, who lives a few blocks from where police say the crash happened on Risinger Road near Chisholm Trail Parkway in far South Fort Worth, KDFW-TV (Channel 4) reported.
“I did see two individuals,” Garcia told KDFW. “But I kept telling myself it can’t be. It just can’t be.”
Friends of the couple said they were deeply involved in their community, especially in their church, Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Friends of the family and pastors from the church were at the Arbours' home on Friday morning to be with their four children, who are between the ages of 8 or 9 and 16, the Star-Telegram reported, adding that their grandparents were also on their way into town to be with them.
Wedgwood Pastor Dale Braswell told WFAA-TV (Channel 8) that the couple was deeply devoted to their faith.
“They were just passionate about relationships,” Braswell said. “This was a family that understood the importance of opening up your lives to other people.”
The Arbours attended Texas A&M University, the Star-Telegram reported. Friends told the newspaper that they were unsure of when the couple met.
Ben Arbour earned a doctorate from the University of Bristol in England and later became an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at Weatherford College, the Star-Telegram reported.
Meg Arbour was a full-time stay-at-home mom who prided herself on educating her children. Dusty Deevers, a friend of the family, told the Star-Telegram that Meg homeschooled the four children and also made and sold lesson plans with two other women.
Fort Worth police Officer Buddy Calzada spoke to KDFW of street racing’s deadly toll.
“We just can’t understand why somebody would continue to street race at a high rate of speed at the risk of losing their life or taking the life of someone else,” Calzada said.
The crash was one of four in Fort Worth that occurred overnight, police told media outlets. The crashes killed a combined seven people, police said.
