Texas Man Charged With Manslaughter for Killing 2 Children With a Backhoe and Injuring 3 Others
- Vijender Chauhan, 40, allegedly drove the backhoe while children and adults rode as passengers on various parts of the equipment before they fell.
A Texas man was charged with manslaughter for killing two children with a backhoe in Roanoke on April 3. Vijender Chauhan, 40, of Crowley, was booked into the Denton County Jail in connection with the deaths.
Chauhan allegedly drove the backhoe while children and adults rode as passengers on various parts of the equipment before they fell. Doug Parks, a fire marshal with the Roanoke Fire Department, told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the incident occurred in an unincorporated area near Roanoke. Chauhan was uninjured.
Along with the two counts of manslaughter, Chauhan is charged with three counts of endangering a child and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He posted $280,000 bail the day of his arrest and was released.
The two children — identified as 11-year-old Shivraj Chauhan, known as Raj, and Sonakshi Chauhan, 7 — were pronounced dead at the scene around 7:49 p.m. on April 3. Their last names are also Chauhan, but news reports are not sure of their relationship with Vijender Chauhan. As per the Denton Record-Chronicle report, the Tarrant County medical examiner’s public portal hadn’t listed a cause or manner of death for the two children.
Lonny Haschel, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety told the media that “a John Deere backhoe was traveling southwest on Chapel Hill Court with multiple children and adults riding on various moving parts of the backhoe.” While in motion, the driver of the backhoe operated equipment caused the front bucket to dump, and occupants riding in the bucket fell to the ground. Chauhan then allegedly ran over the children with the backhoe. Two more children and an adult were taken to local trauma centers. Haschel told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the adult’s injuries were serious.
Ashley Robinson, a spokesperson from Trinity Valley School, confirmed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that two children went to the private school in Fort Worth. “It is difficult to find the words to express the sorrow we all feel for the loss of our young students,” Head of School Blair Lowry wrote in an email obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Teachers, coaches and administrators have provided opportunities for students to navigate their grief or to find solace in play or routine. We will continue to support our students in the days and weeks to come.”