Investigators looking for driver in fatal hit-and-run crash
DALLAS - Dallas County Sheriff’s investigators are looking for the driver of a Toyota Tundra who caused a deadly crash in Southeast Oak Cliff.
The crash happened about a month ago on westbound Interstate 20 near Polk Street. The driver of a 2007 to 2013 Toyota Tundra hit Carlita Jones' car and caused it to crash into the bridge pillars under Polk Street.
“We had three witnesses that saw him come across three lanes of traffic,” said Dallas County Sheriff’s Detective Eddie Embry. “It hit her right where it made her lose control and head straight for the bridge pillars.”
Jones died at the scene. Her friend, Karzenna Sanders, was in the passenger seat and was also hurt.
“We were coming from one of our friend’s home, getting ready to go and get ready for church,” Sanders recalled.
The crash was so violent it knocked the engine out of the car. But the driver who hit them never stopped to help.
“We hung upside down I don’t know how many minutes, how many seconds before someone cut me out and then she was pronounced dead at that point in time,” Sanders said.
Rescuers pulled her out of the vehicle using the Jaws of Life. She needed stitches because her head went through the windshield and now has some nerve damage in her legs.
She’s also now taking care of Jones’ son, who is a student at Texas A&M Commerce. They pray that someone who knows what happened “will tell someone who killed my best friend, my sister and my heartbeat.”
Det. Embry said these are some of the hardest crimes to solve, especially because there is not a whole lot of evidence from the suspect’s vehicle. But the pickup truck’s driver did leave behind parts of a tan or gray-colored bumper and headlight.
The suspect’s vehicle, similar to the one pictured, likely had or still has damage on the front right side, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Dallas County Sheriff’s Vehicle Crimes Unit at 214-589-2323. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward in the case.