Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — A driver is under arrest and faces an intoxication manslaughter charge after an SUV truck smashed into a store on Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth on Tuesday afternoon, killing one woman and sending seven others to the hospital.
Police said the suspect had fled a minor wreck and was traveling 80-100 mph when he lost control of the Chevrolet Avalanche and crashed into Star Food Mart, 1799 Lancaster Ave., around 1:35 p.m.
Sylvia Zazueta, 24, of Fort Worth died at John Peter Smith Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office. Police said she was taken to the hospital in critical condition after the crash.
The driver, who police suspect was under the influence of a narcotic, suffered minor injuries. He was treated at the scene and taken into police custody but later transported to John Peter Smith Hospital after complaining of pain.
A passenger in the truck left the scene but returned, and was hospitalized with minor injuries
Fort Worth Fire Lt. Kyle Falkner said the vehicle plowed all the way into the store. Six adults, including Zazueta, were inside at the time.
Four were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the injured had to be extricated from beneath the truck, authorities said.
Cpl. Tracey Knight, a police spokeswoman, said the earlier, minor accident was at Riverside Drive and U.S. 287 and involved the Avalanche and a small yellow car. Knight said when the yellow car’s driver indicated he was going to call police, the Avalanche driver sped off.
“Witnesses say that the driver of the gray SUV was going between 80 and 100 miles per hour when he lost control of his car and slammed into the convenience store,” Knight said.
Officials said the truck was northbound on Riverside Drive and trying to turn west on Lancaster when the driver lost control and veered into the front corner of the store.
Knight said six people were inside — three men and three women — when the crash occurred.
“When officers and firefighters first got here, citizens joined in to help. They were just pulling the building apart and pulling debris off people, trying to get to the people that were trapped inside the store and underneath the car,” Knight said.
Firefighters had to remove the truck to free one of the victims, who was pinned underneath.
“The vehicle was almost entirely into the structure so crews began working to extricate the people who were inside,” Falkner said. “They actually had to pull the vehicle out of the building utilizing a fire truck to get one person that was pinned.”
Knight said workers from a nearby construction crew reportedly helped cut electricity to the store because of the dangers posed by arcing electrical lines.
Matt Zavadsky, a MedStar spokesman, said Zarzueta had suffered critical injuries to her head, chest and extremities.
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