WHITE SETTLEMENT (WBAP/KLIF News ) – White Settlement Police and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a gruesome hit-and-run crash involving a man who drove around with the victim’s lifeless body in the car over the weekend.
White Settlement police received a 911 call around 11:13 Saturday night about a driver slumped over the steering wheel of a Kia Forte while parked at a Jack in The Box in the 8700 block of West Freeway near I-30, according to a press release.
An officer found the car with “extensive front-end, hood and windshield” damage and a human body in the front passenger seat next to the passed out driver.
Medics were called to the scene and confirmed the victim was dead.
Chief Chris Cook said 31-year old Nestor Lujan Flores of Arlington told officers he thought he hit a deer in Dallas and continued to drive to the parking lot.
“It’s very unfortunate how this man that was driving could operate a vehicle like that and drive 40 miles with a human being in the vehicle thinking that somehow this was an animal,” he said.
Based upon the evidence at the scene, detectives believe the driver struck a pedestrian somewhere between Arlington and White Settlement.
The department notified the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Prairie Police Department, Arlington Police Department, and the Fort Worth Police Department to identify a possible location where this incident occurred.
A Flock Safety Alert was recovered at the eastbound lanes of the 1900 block of E. Mayfield at New York Avenue at 6:01 p.m. placing the vehicle in Arlington prior to this case investigation.
Chief Cook said the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office believes the initial impact may have happened along I-30 near Cockrell Hill Road.
“They located some possible body parts in the roadway there. Based on that information, we believe they could be connected,” he said.
Detectives believe the impact was so severe, that the pedestrian was thrown inside the vehicle and came to rest on the passenger seat.
Police said Flores never alerted first responders about the incident.
Flores is facing an intoxication manslaughter charge and possibly failure to render aid.
“This scene was very hard for our teams, just to even work a case like this. Really, what the frustration of our team is, is these are avoidable. People do not need to get behind the wheel. We talk about it all the time. Make good decisions. There’s rideshare services, friends. There’s just other things you can do besides getting behind the wheel,” said Chief Cook. “In all my 28 years, I have never really worked a case like this.”
The victim’s cause of death and identity will be released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office once next of kin have been notified.
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