Henry Ruggs' lawyers question fire department response in fatal crash

Lawyers for Henry Ruggs III are now pointing their fingers at the Clark County Fire Department.

David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, attorneys representing the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, claim firefighters waited 20 long minutes to respond to 911 calls. During that time, 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog perished as her car burned, having been ignited when Ruggs slammed into her from behind going in excess of 120 MPH.

Ruggs has been charged with DUI resulting in death and reckless driving resulting in death. But his lawyers maintain that Tintor may still be alive today had the Clark County Fire Department responded quicker.

8News Now Las Vegas reports that Ruggs’ attorneys believe the fire could have been extinguished in “its infancy stages.”

“Through investigation conducted by the defense, namely the discovery of a percipient witness, it has been revealed that the Clark County Fire Department was in a position to extinguish the vehicle fire while it was in its infancy stages and failed to do,” court documents said.

According to court documents, Ruggs’ lawyers claim “firemen did not attempt to extinguish the fire… for approximately 20 minutes at which time the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.”

Last week, the Clark County Fire Department released a statement that disputed any claims of a delayed response.

“There were no delays in the response or in the attack on the fire,” the statement read.

“The captain on the scene reported that the vehicle was fully involved in fire upon arrival and the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside. There was a continuous rekindle in one area of the car that gave the crews some trouble, which is not unusual in vehicle fires. The captain states there was some material that was dripping, possibly from a fuel line that was reigniting in the passenger-side, rear-wheel area. The fire crews continuously extinguished this area as it reignited.”

Ruggs’ attorneys have also filed a motion to procure all Clark County Fire Department communications related to the crash, including text messages. Judge Suzan Baucum has told them they can issue their own subpoenas for said records.

If convicted, Ruggs faces the potential for serious prison time.