A driver facing a manslaughter charge admitted to police that he, an 18-year-old woman, and several others crashed on the North Central Expressway Sunday after leaving a club, according to court records.
The 18-year-old driver is accused of killing Hazel Soto Fuerte and injuring five others in the two-vehicle crash reported at 3:55 a.m. on North Central Expressway near North Henderson Avenue, according to his arrest warrant affidavit.
The driver said he, Fuerte, and three other passengers got onto the expressway in his gray GMC Sierra truck after leaving a club in downtown Dallas, according to a police interview included in the court records.
The driver told police another vehicle “got in his way,” and that’s when he made a “faulty evasive action,” according to the affidavit. His truck veered across two lanes and hit a concrete barrier and pillar, Dallas police said.
His truck reentered the road and collided with a red truck. Police said the red truck struck a concrete barrier and came to a stop in the road. The gray truck stopped when it struck the concrete barrier again.
Fuerte died at the scene, according to the affidavit. Another juvenile in the truck with Fuerte was seriously injured with several broken ribs and a bruised lung, according to the affidavit.
Police said five people were taken to a hospital, including the 18-year-old driver and a passenger in the red truck.
The 18-year-old driver told police he did not consume any alcohol and stated several times that “he was not intoxicated,” the affidavit said.
Police found an open container of whiskey in the 18-year-old’s truck after the crash, the affidavit said. Officers also observed the driver struggling to keep his balance and unable to focus during several of the sobriety tests.
Police deemed him intoxicated and unable to drive a vehicle safely.
He was arrested and booked into the Dallas County jail on the manslaughter charge and intoxication assault with a vehicle, causing serious bodily injury. His bail has been set at $350,000, according to jail records.
It is unknown if the 18-year-old driver has legal representation.
The Dallas Morning News reached out to Fuerte’s family, who denied a request to be interviewed at this time.