Family mourns Fort Worth mother killed in store crash
When she came out she was on a stretcher, clinging to life.
In a blink of the eye, a Chevy Avalanche driven by a 19-year-old man barreled into the store at
Zazueta, 24, was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at
"It's like it plays back in my head. Was she screaming? Was she crying?" asked
On Wednesday, the Avalache's driver,
While blood tests are not yet back, police say they suspect Adams was under the influences of drugs when he lost control and crashed into the store while fleeing a minor accident at
Court records indicate he does not have a valid drivers license.
Adams declined a jailhouse interview Wednesday.
The convenience store is within walking distance of the city's homeless shelters and popular among the homeless population. Three of the victims listed a homeless shelter as their address, including a pregnant woman, authorities say.
As of Wednesday, most of the injured had been released from the hospital.
Where Zazueta's family had been planning their annual Easter gathering at
"The oldest one. She's taking it bad,"
'Never hit his brakes'
"The guy that was on the passenger side said, 'Hey, I can take that small dent out of the side of your car for
But as Washington pulled into a parking lot, the Avalanche followed. Washington said the passenger got out and continued to try and persuade him to let him fix the dent. Washington refused, and as he was preparing to pull out of the parking lot, he said the Avalanche rear-ended his car.
"By that time, I get out. I don't have any idea what's going on," Washington said.
Washington asked the driver to exchange name and insurance information, but the driver began insisting he could fix the damage.
"I said, 'No, just give me your information.' He get me back into the truck and says, 'Let me get it.' Then he burnt off," Washington said.
Washington said he began to follow the truck with hopes of getting its license plate.
"He is flying up
"My mind went straight to I know there's people working in there. I knew people were inside the store, workers and everything," Washington said. "I was like, 'Oh my God.' To see how it went up in there, no brakes. The guy never hit his brakes. There were no skid marks or anything. At that rate of speed he went, it sounded like something had blown up. He hit it so hard on impact."
Washington said he called 911 and pulled into store's parking lot, watching as the truck's passenger exited the hole of the debris-filled store by climbing over the truck.
"I was almost the first person he saw when he hit the parking lot," Washington asid. "He's telling me, 'It wasn't me! ... I wasn't driving!"
Since the wreck, he said he's been spreading the message to let their loved ones know how they feel everyday.
"She never knew that her life would end that day," Washington said of Zazueta. "It's unfortunate."
'A very loving mother'
Zazueta's death came just two days before she and her husband,
"He is an awesome guy. The two oldest kids weren't even his and he just accepted them as their own,"
"She was a very loving mother. She would do anything for her kids...,"
"The light turned green. I said, 'Are you sure?' She said, 'Yeah, I'll be fine,'" Zazueta recalled. "That was the last thing she said to me."
"I don't care,"
"I just hope he sees what he's taken away from us," she said. "...Why couldn't he just be like a normal person and stay there an exchange information. Why did he have to run?"
Twitter: @deannaboyd
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