Fort Worth Teenager Charged With Reckless Injury to a Child Following Fatal Collision and Infant Ejection

17 year old Karla Lopez faces reckless injury charges after her 6 month old son was ejected and killed in a Fort Worth crash where he was unrestrained.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 16, 2026, 12:22 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from FOX 4 News

Criminal Charges Filed Following Fatal Intersection Collision

The Fort Worth Police Department has formalized charges against a teenage mother following a week long investigation into a deadly traffic incident. Karla Lopez, 17, was taken into custody and booked into the Tarrant County Jail on a felony charge of reckless injury to a child. The arrest follows a March 7 crash at the intersection of Rock Island Street and Azle Avenue, which resulted in the death of her infant son, Sebastian Reyes.

Details of the Collision and Lack of Safety Restraints

According to the preliminary crash report, Lopez was operating a vehicle that allegedly failed to stop at a posted stop sign, leading to a direct collision with another car. Investigators at the scene determined that 6 month old Sebastian was unrestrained at the time of the impact. The force of the collision caused the infant to be ejected from the vehicle, resulting in catastrophic injuries. While Lopez was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the child later succumbed to his wounds at a local hospital.

Legal Implications and Reckless Conduct Classification

The classification of the charge as reckless injury to a child underscores the department's findings regarding the preventable nature of the tragedy. Under Texas law, "reckless" conduct implies that the actor was aware of but consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk. In this case, both the alleged traffic violation and the failure to use a mandated child safety seat contributed to the severe legal standing of the charges currently facing the teenager.