A bereaved family has released a statement following the tragic loss of a pedestrian who was fatally struck by a driver who continued to drive nearly 40 miles to a fast food restaurant in White Settlement with the victim's body in his passenger seat Saturday night.
On Saturday at around 11:15 p.m., the White Settlement Police were alerted to an incident involving a driver who appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel of a heavily damaged car parked near the Jack in the Box restaurant located near Interstate 30. When an officer arrived at the scene first, they found the body of 45-year-old Terry Ivory in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.
Authorities said they asked the driver, 31-year-old Nestor Luján Flores, to exit the vehicle and contacted emergency fire and medical personnel, who confirmed Ivory was dead.
Flores, who was previously convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2020, allegedly told police that he thought he Flores allegedly told the officer he had hit a deer in Dallas.
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Despite a badly damaged hood and a large hold in his windshield, investigators said Flores drove 38 miles before stopping at the Jack in the Box parking lot between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., at least two hours before the customer called police.
Employees at Jack in the Box told police that Flores had entered the fast food restaurant seeking a phone charger while covered in blood.
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According to detectives, they believe the impact was so severe that Ivory was thrown inside the vehicle while he was in the crosswalk near Cockrell Hill Road and I-30 in West Dallas. White Settlement Police said Ivory's legs were recovered from the scene of the crash, and the rest of his body was found in the passenger side of Lujan's vehicle.
On Wednesday, Dec. 20, Ivory's family released this statement on behalf of their loved one:
"Terry Ivory was our brother, and he was a talented, loving, caring, hard worker who would do whatever he had to do to get to work. He was funny and had a great smile. He loved his family and supported them. He went out of his way to help others, even in his situation. He is loved and will be greatly missed."
On Tuesday morning, NBC 5 learned Flores had been moved to Dallas County, where he was booked into the county jail and charged with collision involving death. A bond amount has not been set, and it's unclear if Flores has obtained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
