09:45 PM CST on Saturday, March 25, 2006

By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA-TV

Darrell Mark Burress, left, was killed in the wreck; Phillip Gracia was arrested for intoxication manslaughter.

ARLINGTON — A Parker County high school principal was killed and two police officers were hurt when a suspected drunk driver plowed into a squad car early Saturday.

Police said the crash happened just after 2 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 near Ballpark Way in Arlington.

According to investigators, Darrell Mark Burress, the principal at Peaster High School, was driving with his wife and two children when their Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle was struck in a hit-and-run accident.

Arlington police officers Leticia Brooks and Michael Leonesio arrived to help.

Police said Burress, 48, of Aledo, was standing near the officers when a speeding Jeep Cherokee plowed into one of their squad cars.

All three were hurt; Burress' wounds were fatal.

"I went to get them because his vehicle was inoperable anyway," said David Shaw, Burress' brother-in-law. "On the way over there, my sister called and said my brother-in-law was dead."

Officer Brooks was hospitalized in serious condition at Harris Methodist Fort Worth. Officer Leonesio was treated and released at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

Hundreds will mourn Burress in the rural community 30 miles west of Fort Worth where he led the high school's 300 students and 25 faculty members.

"I think it's going to hurt knowing he's not here anymore," said Seth Hendrick, a student at Peaster High.

Peaster ISD Superintendent Phillip Bledsoe said Burress was a principal with a good sense of humor who connected with his students. "He did communicate real with some of the boys at the high school, especially when he'd wear a little 'do-rag' on his head," Bledsoe said. "He'd get a chuckle or two from that standpoint."

Seth said you couldn't not like Principal Burress. "He's got a Harley that he'd ride to school on Fridays," he said. "It was cool."

Shaw said Burress was a good brother-in-law and a good father and friend. "They've got six kids. We've got a lot of support from family, friends and church, a lot of prayers going up."

Police charged Phillip Gracia, 44, of Fort Worth, with intoxication mansalughter and two counts of intoxication assualt with serious bodily injury. No bond was set.

Officers said the incident points to the dangers of secondary accidents, an especially serious threat for law enforcement officers.

Less than an hour before the Arlington crash, a 29-year-old man lost control on Interstate 35E in Dallas.

The driver, identified as Joseph Duval, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Also in Dallas, A man was killed after his truck stalled along Woodall Rogers Freeway downtown. The victim was walking to get some gas when he was hit by a driver in a van.

The van left the scene. Police tracked it down about an hour later.

The driver, identified as Jesus Araujo, was taken into custody for questioning.

Police shut down the freeway for more than an hour during the investigation, causing a large traffic jam.

E-mail ccavazos@wfaa.com