TikTok star, age 20, killed mum and her daughter, 16, and also injured girl, six, in high speed car crash

20-year-old Agustín López Gagliasso was driving his vehicle at 74mph when he hit a family of four who were enjoying a walk along the Rosario waterfront in Rosario, Argentina. 41-year-old Tania Gandolfi and her 16-year-old daughter Agustina García were killed in the accident.

The woman's other daughter, aged six, who has not been named, and her husband, Diego García, suffered serious injuries but are not in critical condition. Gagliasso, who has 30,000 followers on TikTok, had a female passenger at the time of the crash. According to reports, he was with a young woman known as Giovanna R, who had filmed a video of herself sitting on his lap moments before the crash, while he sped up.

Giovanna claims that the influencer had an argument with a motorcyclist prior to the incident and that he chased them at a high speed. The vehicle Gagliasso was driving then spun off of the road and collided with the family on the path. The car, a Peugeot 206, was completey destroyed, but Gagliasso and Giovanna seemingly escaped with minor injuries. After the accident, she shared an image of her face covered in bruises and said: "I'm not dead by a miracle."

On his Instagram and TikTok pages, Gagliasso was known for posting images of himself driving cars, at parties, in nightclubs, in swimming pools or in country houses.

After the incident, which happened last month, Gagliasso was taken to a local hospital where he was hospitalised for a number of days for trauma to his chest and back. When he was released from hospital he quickly turned off the comments on his social media pages. Giovanna R was reportedly also hospitalised for abdominal trauma and later released.

According to Giovanna R’s statement, Gagliasso had been taking her home when the crash happened. She also said that the incident began in the nearby Arturo Illia tunnel, when a motorcyclist overtook the car Gagliasso was driving. He reacted by insulting him and began to chase him, performing risky maneuvers that included zigzagging between other cars. That’s when he lost control of the car and hit by the family.

Gagliasso was charged by prosecutors Mariana Prunotto and Valeria Piazza Iglesias. He is currently under pre-trial detention as he awaits his sentence, but he faces many years in prison. According to local newspaper Perfil Cordoba, Gagliasso tested positive for alcohol. It is alleged that the Provincial Road Safety Agency of Rosario suspended his driver's license after analysis found that he had 0.2 grams of alcohol in his blood. No drugs were found in his system. According to Agencia Noticias Argentinas, the analyses "will remain kept in the laboratory for possible studies if required."

In a court hearing held on Friday January 24, prosecutors Mariana Prunotto and Valeria Piazza Iglesias charged Gagliasso with the crime of simple homicide with eventual intent. According to the prosecutors, the young driver allegedly had an altercation with a motorcyclist before losing control of the car, while performing dangerous maneuvers to overtake other vehicles at a speed of over 120 kmh (74mph), which caused the fatal accident.

During the hearing, Diego García described how the accident destroyed his life, as reported by local media. “My father is hospitalised due to a stroke, and together with Tania we had a small business that I can no longer support. I lost everything. This man destroyed my family, my source of work and everything I had. My daughter now needs all my attention, and I am alone. For me, he is a murderer behind the wheel. He used the car as a weapon, without caring about anything,” he said through tears, demanding that the influencer receives the maximum sentence.

Attorney Carlos Varela, defender of the accused, said he intends to file an appeal, as reported by The Mirror: “We intend that López’s conduct be adjusted to double negligent homicide in a traffic accident. Based on the admission of the qualification proposed by prosecutors Piazza Iglesias and Prunotto, double simple homicide, which has a sentence of eight to 25 years in prison, we intend that López’s conduct be adjusted to that of double negligent homicide in a traffic accident, which has a sentence of three to six years in prison, and on that basis, discuss the preventive detention that was ordered."

In his defense, López Gagliasso claimed that he had no intention of causing the crash. Giovanna R. will reportedly not face criminal charges in the investigation.