Keller teen with passion for running struck, injured by suspected drunk driver near park

A 14-year-old Keller athlete faces a long road to recovery after she was hit and injured by a suspected drunk driver while running near Bear Creek Park on Thursday night, according to family members.

The student, identified as Nina in a GoFundMe, suffered a brain injury and fractures in both femurs, her knee and her pelvis, according to the fundraiser description.

“Every donation, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference in helping Nina heal and hopefully enable her to return to running one day,” organizer Yvette Rosales wrote on the GoFundMe page.

The driver of the pickup truck involved in the accident was arrested.

Police identified the suspect as Michael Mango, 67, of Ferris, who faces a charge of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. He was driving at a high rate of speed and failed to stop for the girl, who was jogging across a crosswalk when she was struck shortly before 6:30 p.m., police said.

Mango remained at the scene and cooperated with officers, who took him into custody, police said. He was being held in the Tarrant County Jail on Friday with bond set at $20,000.

The Keller Police Department posted on social media about a “serious auto-pedestrian accident” around 7:20 p.m. The accident occurred near the eastern end of Bear Creek Park, which is located in the 400 block of Bear Creek Park Road.

The teen was transported to a local hospital, the post said. The police department’s crash team was investigating the accident.

Nina was training to join the cross-country team at Keller High School when she was injured. Doctors estimate it will take her at least a year to recover, according to the GoFundMe.

The teen remains in critical condition at a local hospital. Her first surgery is scheduled for Friday, according to the fundraiser.

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Another Keller teen, 17-year-old Caleb Essen, was killed Saturday when his BMW collided with another vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 377 and Westport Parkway in Westlake.

The investigation into the cause of that crash is ongoing.