BAYTOWN, Texas – A man is dead and a 20-year-old driver is facing serious charges after a deadly wreck in Baytown on Thursday.
Police say 52-year-old Joseph Laday was trying to leave his home off Highway 146 when the driver of a red Chevrolet pickup lost control after a short police chase.
One of Laday's neighbor's witnessed the accident.
"It hits close to home because I knew him, I spoke with him, I said 'hi' to him every day," says Tag Lienti. "He was a good ol' man. He didn't deserve this."
Investigators say that around 3 p.m., a Baytown officer spotted 20-year-old Marco Flores driving erratically.
They say that when the officer tried to pull over Flores, he sped off, lost control of the truck and slammed into Laday's small pickup.
Katelyn Kelley was working next door inside her boutique when she heard the crash and ran outside.
"The suspect tried to run, and so he was just sitting out on the ground," recalls Kelley. "The cop had got him and then tried to tend to the guy that was pinned in the vehicle and realized that he couldn't help him."
Laday died on the scene, leaving behind family, friends and neighbors to mourn.
"That poor man was just trying to leave his house and never is going to go home again," says Kelley. "His family's never going to see him or anything. It made me hug my babies a lot tighter. It's very sad."
Flores was charged with intoxication manslaughter.
Police say Flores appeared to be intoxicated and they are awaiting results from toxicology tests.
