Two families in Tarrant County are mourning the loss of loved ones this Thanksgiving after a head-on crash on Jacksboro Highway on Wednesday night.
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said the crash was caused by a wrong-way driver and that alcohol may have been involved.
The drivers of both vehicles, James Harris, 17, of Azle; and Jake James, 72, of Fort Worth; were killed.
The accident happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Jacksboro Highway just south of the Fort Worth Nature Center.
The Harris family said Thursday that it still had not hit them that their son, James Jr., is gone.
"I'll always love him," James Harris Sr. said. "I hope no other parents have to go through this."
Their son was on his way home to Azle from his job at Brookshire's in Lake Worth.
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James and Belinda Harris said they can hardly find the words to describe the devastating news that their son was killed. They said that although they may have fought over his driving his mother's car every once in a while, he was a good son.
"He was good kid, didn't smoke or drink or anything like that," Belinda Harris said. "He basically stayed out of trouble. He stayed home, went to school and he worked -- that's what he did. He was a stubborn kid, but he was a good kid, though. He didn't get into a lot of trouble."
James Harris Jr. was a sophomore at Azle High School, where he briefly played football.
"He played up until his freshman year, and then he got into girls and cars," his mother said with a laugh.
The family had planned to spend Thanksgiving at the Cowboys game, even though he was a big Colts fan.
"He was Peyton Manning all the way; he loved Peyton Manning," Belinda Harris said. "Everybody made fun of him for loving Peyton Manning."
The details of the fatal crash are still under investigation.
The sheriff's department said it suspects alcohol was involved, as it appears that Jake James' car crossed over into westbound traffic and hit James Harris' Mustang head-on.
There were no eyewitnesses, so investigators have to rely on other evidence to figure out exactly what happened.
The medical examiner's office will determine if alcohol was involved.
"It's just a tragedy, and we hope this is the worst thing that happens this weekend, and the folks that may hear about this accident will think twice before getting back into their cars,"sheriff's office spokesman Terry Grisham said. "Getting behind the wheel when they're drinking is just a terrible idea."
"Please don't drink and drive, because this is what happens," Belinda Harris said.
"It tears up families," James Harris Sr. said.
