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Background: News footage of the scene where Xochitl Santos was fatally struck by a car on Dec. 23 (KTRK). Inset: Xochitl Santos (Facebook).
Authorities are currently investigating a tragic car accident that resulted in the death of a woman in her own driveway in Texas.
The unfortunate incident occurred when 43-year-old Xochitl Santos was standing beside her Toyota Sienna outside her Houston home on the afternoon of December 23. A man driving a Chevy Cobalt lost control, crashing into her and trapping her between the vehicles. The impact was severe, leading to the amputation of one of Santos’s legs on the spot, while the other was nearly severed, according to the Houston Police Department. Her family provided immediate assistance before she was transported to the hospital.
Sadly, the mother of four did not survive her injuries and was declared dead at the hospital.
Local law enforcement informed Fox affiliate KRIV that a 34-year-old man was apprehended at the scene but later released. The driver was reportedly intoxicated and speeding through the residential area. While no charges have been filed yet, the investigation into the deadly collision continues.
Surveillance footage obtained by ABC affiliate KTRK from a nearby business captured the incident at around 4:30 p.m. on December 23. The video allegedly shows the suspect’s Cobalt racing down the street, closely following another gold Toyota sedan.
Investigators told KTRK that the suspect had been arguing with his girlfriend at an apartment complex a few blocks away from Santos’ home. The girlfriend, reportedly the driver of the gold sedan, drove away from the complex, and the suspect allegedly chased after her in his Cobalt. Police said that when the suspect sped up to get to the gold sedan, he lost control of his vehicle and struck Santos.
KTRK reported that witnesses told police they heard a man and a woman arguing at the apartment complex in the time leading up to the crash. Residents of that complex told KTRK that the couple were former residents who were visiting friends who still lived there. The couple reportedly got into an argument at the gathering.
Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson told local NBC affiliate KPRC, “Obviously he was driving at a high rate of speed down a residential street, so he could be charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide or something like that depending on what the [district attorney] comes up with, even if he’s not intoxicated.”
Police said the investigation was ongoing. The suspect has not been named or charged with any crimes.