A.D. Ibarra
-San Antonio, TX
A whirlwind of emotions overcame our sister city of Brackettville over the weekend as the community is reeling over the sudden deaths of a prominent family of five, four of which were killed instantly by a tractor trailer which was driving the wrong way on a busy Alamo City thoroughfare.
The accident occurred around midnight on Highway 90 in San Antonio when the family were on their way back home after a One-Act Play competition in which Madison and Marley Koontz participated and won the Area 4 competition with their production of "Radium Gris" which was the winning production this year in District 28-A.
Their brother Zach was the only one to survive the horrendous crash which left their vehicle, a Ford Expedition, virtually unrecognizable. The young man is reportedly recovering from his injuries and is in stable condition in a San Antonio hospital.
Both Madison and Marley are being remembered by friends and fellow classmates as outgoing, kind girls who were active in school programs.
Congressman Pete Gallego (TX-23) issued the following statement in regards to the tragic death of the Koontz family.
“I join the entire Brackettville community in mourning the senseless death of the Koontz family- Ken Koontz, his wife Melissa and their two young daughters Marley and Madison who still had their whole lives ahead of them.
My thoughts and prayers are with their extended families and all of those who feel the pain of their loss. No one feels the pain more than their son, Zack - who although survived this horrific accident- will forever live with the agony of losing his family. He is foremost in my mind and in my prayers.
The Koontz family was headed back home to Brackettville from a one-act play competition in San Antonio. Many of us can relate because we routinely follow our kids to all of their events. And, many of us routinely drive along Highway 90.
However, their lives were senselessly ended when their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver. The tragedy teaches us that any day can be our last, but that time came much too soon for the Koontz family.
More than just in Brackettville, I know that our entire region - and legions of parents across the state, mourns their loss.”
The girls' parents, Melissa and Kenneth Koontz also perished in the accident and are being remembered right now as exemplary parents.
“They were superb parents,” Brackett ISD Superintendent Taylor Stephenson said. “They lived the Christian ethic and their kids modeled it for the other kids and for the community.”
Grief counselors will be at Brackett High School Monday. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.