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Truck driven by drunk teen crashes into Mesquite home, kills man

Published  June 3, 2017 4:35pm EDT
News
FOX 29 Philadelphia

MESQUITE, Texas - A pickup truck driven by a drunk 18-year-old plowed into a family's home in Mesquite, killing a man who was already in bed.

It happened around 10:15 p.m. Thursday. Police said an out-of-control Chevy Avalanche hit two street signs, several curbs and a tree before ended up completely inside a home at the corner of Seminary Ridge and Pioneer Road.

"We didn't' hear any screeching of the tires. It was just a loud noise like a vehicle had hit something and almost instantaneously there was quick silence and a loud crash," said Bobby Folsom III, a neighbor. "We came running from the driveway across the street and I saw the vehicle had gone into the house and saw the people in the vehicle coming out of the house and tried to calm them down some went into the house to see if we could help."

Family members said 42-year-old Jose Reyes was not yet sleeping but already in bed at the time. He was pinned between the truck and his bed and did not survive.

His wife, Yesenia Vasquez, 42, was just getting out of the shower and was trapped. Firefighters rescued her and took her to the hospital. She has several broken ribs, according to her family.

Two people inside the truck were not injured. The driver, 18-year-old Steven Tutt, was arrested for intoxication manslaughter because police believe alcohol played a factor in the crash. His cousin, Shabreka Tutt, 24, was a passenger in the truck and has been charged with public intoxication.

The couple's three children, two teenagers and a young adult, were in another part of the home and not hurt.

"It was just one of those things where you don't expect it at 10 at night to hear something like that. And I just feel sad for the family. We said a prayer with them and tried to comfort them as best we could, brought them some water and just tried to be there for them," Folsom said.

TABC officials said they will investigate how the underage driver got the alcohol.

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/2b9ndm-go-fund-me-for-jose-reyes