5:00 PM
The woman who died in a fiery crash that authorities blame on ex-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Rugg III driving drunk at racetrack speeds burned to death, the county coroner in Las Vegas said Tuesday.
The Clark County Coroner's Office released a statement that said Tina Tintor died from thermal injuries from a motor vehicle collision.
The statement said that her death was caused by a number of conditions, including the inhalation of products of combustion. The manner of her death was accidental.
The driver of the car that slammed into the back of the Toyota on a residential street was accused of being drunk and speeding with his girlfriend in his car.
Hours after the crash, the Raiders released Rugg. He was placed on house arrest after posting $150,000 bail. He has an alcohol monitoring device on one leg and an ankle-wrap on the other.
Attorneys for Ruggs and his girlfriend have refused to say what injuries they suffered. Both were hospitalized after the wreck.
David and Richard Schonfeld, the lawyers for Ruggs, have suggested that they might question the cause of Tintor's death. They didn't comment on the findings.
A witness told the lawyers that firefighters were slow to respond to the scene of the fire that killed Tintor and her dog. They didn't know who the witness was.
Other witnesses tried to save Tintor and her dog but were turned back by the heat, flames and smoke.
Attorney Naqvi did not comment on Tuesday.
A preliminary hearing was delayed from this week to March 10.
There were no delays in response or in the attack on the fire, according to a statement from Clark County.
The statement said that the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside the vehicle, which was fully involved in flames upon arrival.
