Young man killed in fiery crash in Baytown
BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A horrific crash in Baytown Sunday afternoon injured a driver and killed a passenger, leaving debris scattered on both sides of a concrete culvert driveway.
"I thought it was an explosion," said Betty Wilson, in front of whose home it happened. "I ran outside and saw the engine from the car in pieces because it exploded.
The driver, she said, was somehow able to get out of the wreckage.
"All the airbags deployed, so he took quite a hit," Wilson said. "He didn't even realize his friend was in there. He was that disoriented."
His friend was ejected from the vehicle.
"It appears that there is no indication alcohol was involved as a contributing factor in the accident. The reconstruction team is investigating the cause to determine if speed was, in fact, a contributing factor," the Baytown Police Department said in a statement.
The driver is identified as 17-year-old Samuel Ward, and his passenger identified as 19-year-old Oscar Figueroa, according to friends. Both are from Baytown. Friends said Figueroa lived less than two minutes from the place where he died.
Figueroa was a graduate of Sterling High School in Baytown. Family and friends gathered near the crash scene, including Eric Aguire. He was also a friend of Oscar Figueroa, who he described as "a nice kid, a really nice kid."
When asked about the impact his death had on him, Aguire replied, "I can't talk about it now."
There have been other fatal crashes on Bob Smith Road, including a fatal motorcycle accident not long ago.
"There's a memorial where that happened. In a few days, I expect to see another one with a grieving mother trying to get some kind of closure after the death of her child," said Betty Wilson.
