RIVER OAKS, Texas — Family and friends of two people killed in a street race last month, are honoring the victims with a street-side memorial. It's set up on River Oaks Boulevard which is the main thoroughfare through River Oaks, Texas.
A man, who lost both his girlfriend and 17-year-old daughter, vows to do something to help stop street racing. He told WFAA his home will never be the same.
"The house is so quiet," Keith Lake said. "It's so quiet in the house, I can hear the clock going tick, tick, tick."
Just after 9 p.m. on Nov. 30, emergency crews rushed to the 4400 block of River Oaks Blvd. for a horrific crash. Officers learned that while two drivers raced at high speeds, one of them struck a third vehicle.
Lake rushed to the scene too. He learned his 37-year-old girlfriend Cindy Griffin and his 17-year-old daughter Madison Lake were both killed.
"She was my purpose to get up in the morning. It just feels like it is gone," said Lake.
A family friend, 20-year-old Bishop Kline, was also in the car with Lake's girlfriend and daughter. He's in critical condition.
Lake said he took Kline under his wing and has become a mentor to him over the years.
An accident reconstruction team helped police recount what led to the crash. They spent hours taking measurements that would help determine things like speed and distance.
Lake believes Griffin was entering River Oaks Blvd., but never realized she drove into an active street race.
After obtaining surveillance video, officers arrested 19-year-old Nelson Ramirez on two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault.
River Oaks Police Deputy Chief Eric Perkins shared with WFAA that Ramirez was allegedly racing against a 15-year-old, who is also in trouble. However, because he is a juvenile, his name will not be released at this time.
Perkins confirmed that his department has reached out to the District Attorney's Office juvenile division about the underage teen's involvement.
"These guys were racing on a boulevard that goes straight through a town I grew up in," said Lake.
Family, friends, and even strangers are now helping Lake -- who started a GoFundMe page to try and start over without the two most important people in his life. Click here if you would like to donate.
"When I lost Madison, I lost half my heart," Lake said. "When I lost Cindy, I lost the other half."
Lake doesn't plan to stay quiet about what happened to his loved ones. He has signed up to speak at the Dec. 13 council meeting in River Oaks. He wants others who want stricter penalties imposed on people caught street racing to show up for a protest in the parking lot at River Oaks City Hall.
Lake hopes to prevent others from having their loved ones killed or injured because of illegal street races.