A Texas man survived a pair of back-to-back crashes on Sunday but died minutes later when he was struck by several cars near Dallas, police said.
Authorities pronounced 19-year-old Mario Flores, of Dallas, dead at the scene of the accidents on Interstate 635, also known as the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, in Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas. An unidentified passenger in the car Flores was driving suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Flores was driving a blue Honda east on LBJ Freeway early Sunday when he apparently lost control of the car and hit a guardrail on the shoulder of the interstate, Garland police said. The car came to rest sideways, with the rear end of the car partially blocking the right lane of traffic.
The Honda was hit by a white Toyota that was traveling in the right lane, according to police. The impact ejected Flores from the Honda, and he landed on the freeway in the main lanes of traffic.
Several vehicles then struck him and fled from the area, police said.
"He was too young. He had a baby, 3 months (old)," Flores' sister, Elaina, told KDFW. "He had a long life to go. … He was talking a lot about his daughter growing up, and now he's not going to be here with her."
Family members told WFAA that Flores was only 15 minutes from him home when he was struck and killed. He was one of eight siblings.
Authorities are working to identify any suspects in the hit-and-run. Police said Tuesday they had one driver identified, although they did not say what his or her name is.
Authorities did not expect to file charges against that driver.
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