Coroner Says Victim In Ex-NFL Player Henry Ruggs' Alleged DUI Burned To Death
After the crash, Tina Tintor and her dog, Max, were trapped in the SUV as bystanders stood helplessly while she screamed for her life.
The Las Vegas woman killed in a fiery car crash caused by a former NFL player who was allegedly under the influence burned to death, said the coroner.
Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog, Max, were killed when Henry Ruggs III, former NFL wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, hit Tintor’s Toyota Rav4, as previously reported.
On Tuesday, the Clark County coroner announced Tintor died of “thermal injuries due to a motor vehicle collision,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The coroner listed other factors in her death, including fractured ribs and facial bones, inhalation of combustible materials, and internal bleeding.
Tintor’s SUV caught fire after Ruggs' 2020 Chevrolet Corvette reportedly slammed into the back of her vehicle at around 3:39 a.m. near the intersection of South Rainbow Boulevard and South Spring Valley Parkway. He had allegedly been driving nearly 160 mph before the crash, driving north on South Rainbow Boulevard, which is about five miles west of the Las Vegas Strip..
Ruggs was charged with a DUI resulting in death for the Nov. 2 wreck.
Ruggs’ longtime girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-Washington (who also goes by Rudy Washington) was a passenger in Ruggs’ vehicle, according to the Review-Journal. Police said Ruggs and Washington, the mother of his daughter, drank Mai Tais at the Topgolf Las Vegas, located in the MGM Grand, hours before the crash. Washington told investigators they stopped at a friend’s house after leaving the entertainment venue.
Alexander Hart, a security guard from a nearby condominium community who witnessed Ruggs driving the car, heard the crash and drove to the scene in his security vehicle, according to the Review-Journal. Hart and at least three bystanders reported that Tintor was still alive and screaming after the crash.
Tintor was trapped in her SUV as bystanders watched helplessly while smoke and flames engulfed the vehicle.
Witnesses say Ruggs remained on the scene, lying on the ground with his feet on the Corvette, which spun out of control and stopped 520 feet from the crash, Review-Journal reported. He initially refused to take a field sobriety test provided by officers, but blood tests from his later hospital stay showed he was still intoxicated, police said.
Prosecutors stated Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was 0.16, according to the Review-Journal, more than twice the legal limit in the state of Nevada.
Ruggs was released from the hospital later that day and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
That evening, the Las Vegas Raiders gave a blunt, one-sentence statement, announcing Ruggs’ position on the football team.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have released WR Henry Ruggs III,” it read.
Prosecutors slapped Ruggs with more charges, including felony DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm. The injuries sustained by Ruggs’ girlfriend were factored into the prosecution’s decision.
Ruggs pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also included possession of a firearm while under the influence, a misdemeanor.
“A person lost their life yesterday morning, and we think it’s important to keep the focus on that as we talk about this tragic event,” said the Raiders’ interim coach, Rich Bisaccia. “We’re deeply saddened for everyone affected. Especially the victim’s family.”
Friends and family mourning the loss of Tina Tintor spoke with the Review-Journal.
“She was a force to be reckoned with in the best possible way,” said Mia Galvan, one of Tintor’s high school friends. “She was never afraid to be herself. She never grew out of that.”
A status check on the case is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2022, with a preliminary hearing set for March 10, 2022.