A teen was killed and another saved from a burning vehicle that crashed in Plano early Sunday.
The driver of a 2002 Chevy Tahoe was traveling northbound on Preston Road in the right lane when Plano police said he lost control and struck a traffic signal pole and caught fire at Tennyson Parkway.
Onlookers stopped to help and pull people from the SUV, but the vehicle was engulfed in flames before the driver could be pulled out, Plano police spokesman David Tilley told NBC 5.
The driver of the Tahoe was identified as 18-year-old Alger Ben Baker III. The passenger, Daniel Payton Muschock, 18, was taken to a hospital with a severe leg injury.
Muschock is expected to fully recover.
Baker's father, Ben Baker Jr., said his son excelled in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average, along with playing basketball and running track. And he was heading to Baylor University in the fall.
"He was excited. We were excited for him. That's what I want folks to know. My wife and I, we both graduated from Baylor. We were proud that my son was headed there,"
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The teen's father said he would not have been surprised if he ended up working for his son one day.
"He was just destined for great things. He was going to major in international business with probably a double-major in Spanish, possible minor in real estate like his father," said Ben Baker Jr. "I was proud he was about to embark on an amazing journey."
The Plano West High School graduate worked at Bahama Bucks, where his coworkers and friends say they called him the "King of Bahama Bucks," because he worked there since it opened and perfected the perfect Snow Cone.
"He always made you feel like you were the most important person, no matter what you were talking about. He was always interested and there for you," said friend Kelcye Blankenship-Lackland.
The store is closing early Monday, so everyone who works there can attend a vigil for Baker. And on Tuesday, all proceeds collected at Bahama Bucks will go to the teen's family.
"Ben wasn't happy unless his friends were happy, and that's what he tried to do every day. Make everyone happy," said friend Alex Bailey.
The cause of the deadly crash remains under investigation.
NBC 5's Brian Roth contributed to this report.
