How Tina Tintor came close to American dream before she was killed in Henry Ruggs crash
Days after the deadly crash, the family of Tina Tintor have spoken for the first time to the media about the loss of the 23-year-old. In an interview, the heartbroken family recalled how they survived numerous hardships, including war to build a life in the USA, but it was all snatched away in seconds because of a drunk driver. That driver, Henry Ruggs, is now facing two felony charges and over 40 years in prison if convicted.
As we previously reported, Ruggs crashed into Tintor after a night out with family and friends, where he consumed "up to 18 shots" of alcohol. Investigators revealed he was driving at 156mph when the crash occurred, with blood work showing he was twice over the legal limit. The crash resulted in Tintor being burnt alive after eyewitnesses failed to rescue her due to the extreme heat of the fire.
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In the days since Ruggs has been charged with two felonies and dropped by the Las Vegas Raiders. The family hasn't yet commented on the charges, but they have opened up about Tintor's pursuit of the American dream, and how she came so close after two decades in the US.
'So much for the American Dream'
Some members of the family spoke to The Daily Mail on November 4, amongst them uncle Predrag Komazec and brother Djordje. Reportedly, Tintor's mother is still too upset to talk to the press. Before the fatal crash, Djordje revealed Tintor has spent the evening taking her dog Max for a walk at a local dog park. She was on her way home from the park when the accident occurred. He added that Tintor was hanging out with a friend "until around 12 and then went out to the park."
Reportedly, the family is originally from Croatia and lived 20 miles outside the Croatian capital Zagreb. They fled the city for Serbia at the outbreak of the Yugoslavian war. They were forced to flee Serbia in 2000 as well due to the air raids and outbreak of war in the country, eventually finding their way to the USA in 2001, when Tintor was just three years old. "'My sister came after all the war that was going on in former Yugoslavia – Bosnia, Croatia," Komazec said. "They came here and (the authorities) said randomly, you guys are going to Las Vegas so they said 'OK'," he added.
Tintor came to the country with her brother and mother Biljana, and have lived in Las Vegas ever since. The family has also owned a home in the city since 2004 and was reportedly "on the verge" of US citizenship. It's unclear what happened to Tintor's father, but it is possible he may have died in the war. Further details are not available at this time.
"We escape all that over there – war and bombing. We come here and this happens. So much for the American Dream. We survived bombing and we escaped from Croatia to Serbia. We got bombed there and after that we came here to the US. Then this happens," he lamented. The 23-year-old worked from home, fielding calls for an insurance company but dreamed of building a career in computer science.
In a separate statement released via their attorney Farhan Naqvi, the family said, "Tina’s tragic loss has devastated her family beyond a grief they could ever comprehend. Family was everything to Tina, and she was the light of her parents’ life." Separately, Djordje said that the family was not comfortable with all the media attention, adding that "They just want to grieve in their way."