Teen survived DUI crash before being killed in another 2 years later, Texas cops say

A 19-year-old who survived being struck by a drunk driver in 2019 was killed in a similar collision, according to Texas police and media reports.

Clyde Thompson was driving a Nissan Altima on Nov. 7 when his vehicle was struck head-on by a Chevrolet truck, the Beaumont Police Department said. Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene.

A passenger in the Altima, 19-year-old Tonysha Lashay Smith, died at a local hospital, police said.

The driver of the truck was also hospitalized. Charges are pending against that driver, as “alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor” in the crash, police said. He was identified by The Port Arthur News as 22-year-old Antonio DeJesus Delgado.

Thompson and Smith were students at Lamar University in Beaumont, a campus spokesperson told KBMT.

“Lamar University is deeply saddened at the loss of two LU students in a wreck over the weekend. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims during this difficult time,” the spokesperson told the TV station. “Counselors with the Student Health Center are available for students impacted by this tragedy.”

Thompson was majoring in kinesiology and wanted “to serve as a spokesperson for children who are undergoing therapy or battling an illness,” according to the Lamar University Student Government Association.

Smith, an aspiring nurse, was known for being “kind hearted,” the SGA said.

Thompson defied odds in previous DUI crash

As a student at Aldine Senior High School in Houston in 2019, Thompson and a friend were struck by a drunk driver while walking home from basketball practice, KHOU reported.

Thompson was given a 50% chance of survival after being placed in a coma to heal his brain that was badly hurt, according to KHOU. He spent the summer at a hospital before rejoining his basketball team during his senior year of high school, the TV station reported.

After the most recent crash, Clyde Thompson’s mother, Tamela Johnson, said her son was “robbed” of his “bright future.”

“For this to happen it’s just unreal, you know, to get killed by the very thing you survived. It hurts,” .Johnson told KBMT.

His sister added in a GoFundMe that he “was a dedicated son, brother, college student, and athlete.”

“My heart is beyond hurt. Never in one million years did my family and I expect for my brother to fall victim to a drunk driver again.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 8:02 AM with the headline "Teen survived DUI crash before being killed in another 2 years later, Texas cops say."