One person was killed and seven others were injured Tuesday after a driver crashed a truck into a store in Fort Worth while fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash, police say.[[298186961,C]]
Officials investigating the crash said the driver, identified as 19-year-old Isaac Adams, was first involved in a minor crash at Riverside Drive and U.S. Highway 287.
“Yeah, he did stop,” said Bobby Washington, the driver into whom Adams reportedly first crashed. “At the time it seemed like they were on something, you know? It seemed they wasn’t in their right mind.”
After informing Adams he intended to call police, Washington said Adams and his passenger ran back to their truck and sped away.
As Washington called 911 and followed in an attempt to track the man down, Adams raced away on Riverside Drive at speeds of up to 100 mph, officials said.
Adams then lost control of his truck and crashed into the Star Food Mart near the intersection of Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue, trapping several people.
Fort Worth firefighters arrived and began working to free the trapped victims while also stabilizing the building. At one point, firefighters used a fire truck to pull the pickup from the building, freeing a woman who was trapped.
Employees at neighboring businesses rushed to the scene to help the victims and worked to remove some of the debris. Nearby construction workers were able to quickly shut off the electricity to the building since electrical wires were exposed.
One of the eight injured was 24-year-old Sylvia Zazueta, who was trapped by the truck and had to be extricated by firefighters. She was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth in critical condition, but did not survive her injuries.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Zazueta was married with three children.
Don Jones, a cook who was working in the back of the store preparing hot food, walked away with barely a scratch.
“Just a big boom and glass shattering,” Jones said. “Then all I saw was dust and a truck sitting in the store. I thought, ‘My God, what happened?’”
Seven other patients were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries; three were transported to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and four to JPS. One of the injured was a passenger in the truck, the other was the driver who was transported to JPS for treatment.
Fort Worth police confirmed to NBC 5 they believe Adams was under the influence of a narcotic. He now faces several charges, including intoxication manslaughter.
Family of Victim Pulls Together
The mother of Sylvia Zazueta said Tuesday she’s devastated by the loss and what it means to her grandchildren.
Laticia Galdiano said she was with her daughter and two of her grandchildren inside the family’s car at the Star Food Mart, while Zazueta went inside to buy a drink for her son and pay for gas.
Galdiano said her daughter stayed home with the children — ages 8, 4 and 8 months — while her husband worked two jobs. Zazueta’s 8-year-old daughter, Analisa, asked to speak to NBC 5 about her mother.
“She didn't leave us. Where ever she would go, she would take us,” said Analisa.
Zazueta’s grandfather, Elizardo Quinones, said she brought joy to the world. With time, he said he may forgive the driver responsible for the crash.
“We are all human beings. We make mistakes, and with time, I might forgive him," Quinones said. "But now, I can't.”
An account has been set up to help Zazueta's family pay for her funeral expenses. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo bank under the name Sylvia Zazueta to account number 2207967502.
NBC 5's Holley Ford, Chris Van Horne, Jocelyn Lockwood, Ben Russell and Bianca Castro contributed to this report.
