BARNSDALL, Okla. — FOX23 spoke with the mom of a Barnsdall teenager killed in a crash in May.
The driver of the SUV that 15-year-old Tyson Townley was in was his girlfriend's dad who is charged with driving under the influence.
Tyson's mom, Stacey Harris, said her son and his girlfriend were supposed to be headed back to the girlfriend's house for her 16th birthday party, but they never made it.
“Absolutely heartbroken, devastated and I just don't understand. I don't understand how he made that choice to drive,” Harris said.
Those are all the emotions Harris feels after losing her son in a suspected drunk driving crash.
“It took everything from us,” Harris said.
Westin Lowe is charged with manslaughter after investigators said he drove under the influence of alcohol, which led to a deadly crash the night of May 4.
Lowe's 16-year-old daughter, Jasmine, was critically injured and her 15-year-old boyfriend Tyson died.
“Coaches from the school I guess were driving by and called Stephen's phone and said ‘hey Tyson has been in an accident and it's not looking good, you need to get here immediately’. So we went and when we got on scene the cop from town let us know that Tyson didn't make it,” Harris said.
Harris said when she arrived she was heartbroken.
“The car rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled,” Harris said.
Following the accident, Harris said it has been hard for Tyson's siblings.
“Super hard, Brohk and Tyson were like built-in best friends; they were a year and a half apart. Our 3-year-old daughter, Harper, was his person and he is her person. They are best friends so it's been super hard for her,” Harris said.
As a mom she said she is hurting, but her main focus is on her kids.
“Making sure my kids are processing this and they are getting the help that they need to understand what's going on and how to get through it. Just making sure that we stay on top of the prosecutors for justice,” Harris said.
Harris said the outpouring of support from the community has really helped their family.
Even after the tornado hit, people made sure her family wasn't forgotten.
“They were reaching out to us the morning of the tornado when they were seeing the devastation at their houses and all of that. They are still calling and texting us to see if we're OK and to make sure we know that they're not forgetting about us or forgetting Tyson,” Harris said.
Harris said the baseball team has decided to retire Tyson’s number, 28, in honor of his life and legacy.
She said they are working on getting a memorial in honor of Tyson where the crash happened.
Lowe has been charged with first degree manslaughter, child endangerment by driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatality accident.
He is expected in court on July 26.
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