North Texas man dies trying to fix flat tire – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

What began with a flat tire ended in a fatal accident that shocked a family in North Texas.

His family said Silvano Ornelas Jr. was on his way to work Wednesday morning when he got a flat tire around 5:45 a.m. near Highway 360 and Trinity Boulevard in Fort Worth.

They said he pulled over, turned on his hazard lights and called first his brother and then his wife to bring him the tools.

“She said in a split second this car slammed into the back of my brother's truck and this is what happened: my brother and my sister-in-law were thrown away, she couldn't even walk. She tried to drag herself to my brother to see him. She said his eyes were open, he took his last breath,” said Nery Ornelas, Junior's older sister.

She and another sister arrived at the crime scene shortly afterwards.

“She saw him lying there, his work boots and the blanket over his body,” Ornelas said, crying. “She said, 'He's gone, he's gone.' I said, 'No, wait for me!'”

Junior, 37, leaves behind a six-year-old and a seven-year-old boy.

According to the family, his wife is still in the hospital suffering from broken ribs, toes and spinal injuries.

Fort Worth police said the driver who struck the couple remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed.

Ornelas asks witnesses to come forward.

“Something must have led to this, you know. I don't know if they were speeding, I don't know what it is,” she said. “We want justice. It's not just an accident. It wasn't an accident.”

Usually, Ornelas said, “Junior” was the one who took care of everyone, and that’s why she always called him her big brother, even though he was younger than her.

“If you're stranded, he will – it doesn't matter if you're at the end of the world, he will come to you,” Ornelas said.

She cherishes her last memory with him – a weekend barbecue.

“He was singing, we had a good time there that day,” she said.

He was taking care of his family just days before he was taken away from them.