Mary and Charlie Tucker are calling for significant infrastructure changes on a stretch of Hickory Creek Road near FM 1830 in Denton. Their advocacy follows the recent recovery of the bodies of two teenage boys from a vehicle submerged in a creek at that location.
The siblings say the incident reignited the grief they experienced after the death of their brother, Lucas Tucker, in a similar accident in 2018.
Lucas, who was 24 at the time, was a biology student at the University of North Texas and a musician in local bands. On January 21, 2018, he was a passenger in a car driven by a friend. The vehicle lost control on a curve, slid off the road, and fell approximately 25 feet into the water.
The driver survived the crash, but Lucas did not. Charlie Tucker described his brother as someone who brought joy to those around him, noting that he was often laughing when they spoke.
The recent deaths involved 17-year-old Diego Rivera and his 14-year-old brother, Daniel. Mary and Charlie Tucker stated that the new tragedy brought back painful memories of their own loss. They believe that better guardrails, clearer signage, and adequate lighting could have prevented these fatalities.
The siblings have been pushing for these improvements since 2018, but they said an engineer previously told them the road was safe and required no changes.
