Motorist drives 40 miles after hitting man who crashed through windshield, landed in passenger seat where cops find him dead

A motorist drove 40 miles in Texas over the weekend after hitting a man who crashed through the vehicle's windshield and landed in the passenger seat where cops found him dead.

What are the details?

Police began investigating after getting a welfare check call just after 11 p.m. Saturday, KDFW-TV reported, adding that an officer arrived at a Jack in the Box parking lot in White Settlement and found a gray Kia Forte with front end, hood, and windshield damage.

"The call was simply, ‘Hey ... looks like a crashed car, and the driver is slumped over the wheel,’" White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said, according to the station.

The responding officer also saw what appeared to be a dead body in the passenger seat, KDFW added.

The driver — later identified as Nestor Joel Lujan Flores — was detained after police realized he was impaired, the station said. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Flores is 31.

First responders found a dead individual in the passenger seat, KDFW noted. The victim’s name will be released after the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has notified next of kin, the Star-Telegram said.

Flores reportedly told police he thought he'd hit animal in Dallas and drove to the restaurant parking lot, the station said, adding the cops said Flores never called authorities.

"A little bit of confusion at the scene," Cook added to KDFW. "He didn’t realize where he was at and thinks he struck an animal, and in reality, we know now it was a pedestrian."

Human body parts

Dallas County Sheriff’s Office deputies later found human body parts at Interstate 30 and Cockrell Hill Road, the station said.

Investigators believe this is where the crash occurred, KDFW said, adding that the impact forced the victim into the passenger seat.

It’s believed Flores then drove 40 miles to the restaurant parking lot with the man’s body inside the car, the station said.

Image source: White Settlement (Texas) Police

White Settlement is about 40 miles west of Dallas.

"Reviewing video, he actually pulled into the parking lot around 8 p.m., so that means he had stayed at our Jack in the Box for three hours and 13 minutes before we get our first call," Cook added to KDFW.

The station said a camera shows Flores in his undamaged car at 6 p.m. at the intersection of East Mayfield and New York Avenue in Arlington.

"So, from 6:01 p.m., we believe he drove into Dallas County, was likely involved in a collision at I-30, Cockrell Hill, and then gets in our city around 8 o’clock," Cook added to KDFW.

What else do we know about the suspect?

Flores was arrested and convicted of driving while intoxicated in Collin County in 2021, the station said, citing police records.

Flores was being held at the White Settlement jail until charges are filed in Dallas County, since that is where it’s believed the initial crash occurred, KDFW reported.

However, the Star-Telegram reported that police said Flores is charged with intoxication manslaughter and that investigators received a blood sample with a warrant and are waiting for results.

Alleged drunken driver said he thought he hit an animal, a dead body was found in his caryoutu.be

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