An 18-year-old suspect is now facing charges following a tragic automobile incident in Houston that resulted in two fatalities. According to City of Houston News, the driver, Isaiah Xavier Benavidez, was charged with intoxication manslaughter after losing control of a pickup truck that crashed and caught fire, claiming the lives of a young male and female who were inside the vehicle at the time.
The accident took place in the early hours of Saturday, January 10, around 2:10 a.m., on the 6800 block of South Loop East (South Interstate Highway 610). A witness, according to the Houston Police, reported the truck struck a puddle before the driver, identified as Benavidez, lost control. The resulting impact and subsequent fire led to the deaths of an 18-year-old male and a 22-year-old female; their identities are withheld until the family is notified by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Although Benavidez remains in the hospital, a booking photo has not yet been released. The Houston Police Department's Vehicular Crimes Division, including Sergeant M. Barrow and Officer J. Quezada, was dispatched to the tragic scene. "The driver of a white Ford F-150 pickup truck was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed on the South Loop when, according to a witness, the vehicle struck a puddle on the roadway, and the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a freeway sign," the City of Houston News reported.
While this unfortunate event transpired without involving other vehicles, the investigation is still underway to fully unravel the circumstances leading to it. After pulling Benavidez from the vehicle, the Houston Fire Department paramedics declared the remaining occupants deceased at the scene. No information has been provided about potential legal representation for Benavidez or whether a court appearance has occurred as of yet.
