Two people are dead after a Toyota RAV4 was struck while turning near Alma Drive and Cross Bend Road in Plano, and police have arrested a 22-year-old man they say was speeding and driving drunk at the time. The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. last Friday, and both RAV4 occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to CBS Texas, the RAV4 had been heading north on Alma Drive and was attempting a left turn onto westbound Cross Bend Road on a flashing yellow light when a southbound Ford F-150 slammed into it. Police identified the truck's driver as 22-year-old Steve Jaramillo and said he was traveling at a high rate of speed. The station reported that the impact caused the RAV4 to roll onto its right side, and separately, FOX 4 reported that both vehicles struck a traffic signal pole and a tree during the collision.
Fire Crews Tried to Save Both Occupants
Per FOX 4's reporting, officers found the RAV4's occupants unconscious, and Plano Fire Rescue crews responded afterward to extract them and attempt life-saving measures at the scene. Both were pronounced dead there, and authorities have not released their identities as they work to notify next of kin, the same report notes.
Plano police told the station they believe alcohol and speed were contributing factors in the crash. Jaramillo was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, and FOX 4 reported that Plano police said additional charges could follow depending on how the investigation develops.
Crash Data Shows Scope of the Problem Statewide
The case adds to a long list of Texas crashes tied to impaired or speeding drivers that state regulators track each year. The Texas Department of Transportation compiles annual county-level reports on alcohol-involved crashes and injuries, drawing on crash reports submitted by police statewide. TxDOT also maintains a separate report tracking speed-involved crashes and injuries by county using the same statewide crash-reporting system.
No further details on the investigation's outcome have been released. Plano police have not said whether Jaramillo faces additional charges beyond the initial DWI count, and the identities of the two people killed remain withheld while notification of their families continues.
