In the latest development in Henry Ruggs III's drunk driving case, it was revealed how a 23-year-old woman died after a fiery vehicle collision involving the ex-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver.
According to a statement from Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse, Tina Tintor of Las Vegas, "died from thermal injuries due to a motor vehicle collision on Nov. 2," reported Fox News.
The statement issued Tuesday said that other factors that led to her death were "fractures of the nasal bones, right sided ribs ... left forearm and (chest), and inhalation of products of combustion. The manner of her death was declared "accidental" by Rouse.
Authorities have accused the 22-year-old athlete of causing the car crash by being behind the wheel while he was drunk. He reportedly drove at speeds up to 156 miles per hour with his girlfriend in his sports car before it hit the rear of Tintor's car on a residential street where you can't go beyond 45 miles per hour. Ruggs and his girlfriend, Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington, were hospitalized after the crash, but their attorneys haven’t specified the injuries that they suffered.
Hours after the crash, Ruggs was released by the Raiders. After posting $150,000 bail, he was ordered to remain on house arrest with strict conditions. He has an alcohol monitoring device on one leg and an ankle-wrapped GPS on the other.
Through court filings, Ruggs’ lawyers, Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, have suggested that they may question whether the athlete caused Tintor's death. In a court document, the lawyers told a judge that they found a witness who told them that firefighters were not quick to respond while flames consumed the car in which Tintor and her dog, Max, breathed their last.
In a Nov. 11 statement, Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa denied that there were any "delays in response or in the attack on the fire." The statement said that the arriving fire captain reported that the car was completely consumed by fire upon arrival "and the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside."
There were other witnesses who told police that after hearing screams, they tried to rescue her and the dog, but were turned back by fire, heat and smoke.
Ruggs faces many charges, including reckless driving resulting in death, driving under the influence (DUI) resulting in death and possession of a gun while under the influence of alcohol, according to 8 News Now.
In connection with the case, a preliminary hearing of evidence was pushed from this week to March 10 next year.
On the work front, Ruggs was in his second season with the Raiders, which got him with the twelfth selection in the 2020 National Football League (NFL) Draft after he ran the 40-yard dash in less than five seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to AL.com.
