A 16-year-old Tyler girl is dead after the SUV she was riding in flipped and slammed into a tree on a rural Smith County road on September 5. Aideeh Almanzar, a Chapel Hill ISD student, was a passenger in the Chevrolet Tahoe that crashed on County Road 26, and the 17-year-old driver is now suspected of driving drunk at the time.
Preliminary information from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicates the Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling at a high rate of speed on County Road 26 when it flipped while rounding a curve and struck a tree, according to KLTV. Aideeh Almanzar died from injuries sustained in the single-vehicle wreck, the outlet reports, citing DPS. The driver, identified as 17-year-old Felix Almanzar of Tyler, sustained only minor injuries in the crash.
DPS Suspects Drunk Driving, Case Still Pending
DPS has said it suspects Felix Almanzar was driving drunk when the Tahoe went off the road, though the investigation remains open and results are still pending, per the same report. No further details on the circumstances leading up to the rollover have been released.
Chapel Hill ISD confirmed Aideeh Almanzar's death in a statement to families, calling the loss sudden. As reported by tylerpaper.com, the district said, “Aideeh Almanzar recently passed away, according to a statement from the district. The death was sudden.”
School District Remembers Student, Announces Services
The district described Aideeh as “a valued member of the Bulldog family” and extended condolences and prayers to her family, friends, classmates and loved ones. Tylerpaper.com reported that services were being planned in Tyler, with a visitation set at 2:30 p.m. Friday and a mass service at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The crash remains under investigation, and no additional information about potential charges has been released.
