IRVING, Texas — A 24-year-old University of North Texas student has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after investigators say he was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he caused a fatal three-vehicle crash that killed a 60-year-old man in Irving.
The Irving Police Department initially announced on June 19 that officers were investigating a major multi-vehicle crash on the southbound lanes of Loop 12 near the East Irving Boulevard exit. The highway remained closed for several hours while investigators processed the scene.
According to the completed incident report, officers responded at approximately 8:33 p.m. Friday, June 19, and determined that a black Jeep rear-ended a white pickup truck, pushing it into a sedan.
The driver of the sedan, identified as 60-year-old Mario Flores-Nambo, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead.
When officers arrived, Irving Fire Department personnel told police that a man had been seen walking around the crash scene before climbing onto a patrol vehicle. He was later found lying in the grass near the north end of the crash scene.
The man identified himself as the driver of the Jeep and said he had been alone in the vehicle. He was identified as 24-year-old Welson Agwier Akok Lual of Arlington. Investigators determined the Jeep was registered to his mother.
According to the arrest report, officers detected the odor of alcohol on Lual's breath and observed that he was falling asleep while speaking with them. Lual reportedly told officers he was coming from work, where he had been eating pizza and drinking alcohol.
He also told Irving Fire Department paramedics that he remembered driving fast before the crash.
While inside an ambulance, Lual reportedly admitted to an officer that he had consumed approximately 3,000 milligrams of THC gummies a couple of hours before the collision.
An officer attempted to administer the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, but investigators said Lual would not keep his eyes open or follow the stimulus. During the attempted test, the officer observed eyelid tremors, which were noted as indicators of recent marijuana use.
Investigators determined Lual was intoxicated at the time of the crash. He consented to a blood draw at Parkland Hospital before being booked into the Irving Jail on a charge of Intoxication Manslaughter with a Vehicle.
On June 20, he was transferred to the Dallas County Jail. His bond was initially set at $250,000, but he remains in custody due to a hold related to the ongoing investigation.
According to his public LinkedIn profile, Lual is originally from Aweil, South Sudan, graduated from Mansfield Summit High School, recently earned an Associate of Arts in Business from Tarrant County College, and had transferred to the University of North Texas to pursue double majors in Accounting and Financial Planning.
In a social media post made about a month before the crash, Lual celebrated earning his associate degree and wrote that he planned to complete both bachelor's and master's degrees at UNT. Sadly, this tragic mistake of driving drunk has cost a precious life and will likely put an end to all of Lual's dreams.
The victim, Mario Flores-Nambo, was scheduled to be laid to rest on June 27 at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens in Irving. His daughter has established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses.
The investigation remains ongoing.
