Attorneys for former Raiders' WR Henry Ruggs say firefighters were too slow

With details still emerging there has been a new development in the case of the former Las Vegas Raiders WR

Witness in Henry Ruggs case says firefighters were slow

According to a court filing written by the lawyers of Henry Ruggs a witness said that firefighters were slow to extinguish a vehicle fire which ignited as a result of a deadly crash that authorities allege was caused by the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver. Ruggs, who is 22, is accused of driving drunk while traveling at a speed of 156 mph in his Corvette. His girlfriend was also in the car at the time of the crash in the early hours of November 2nd. Just hours after he was officially released by his team.

On Thursday a funeral was held for the young woman who died tragically in the crash. More than 100 people attended the ceremony for Tina Tintor at the St. Simeon Serbian Orthodox Church in Las Vegas. Amongst those in attendance was Raiders owner Mark Davis.

Henry Ruggs' Lawyers speak on their case

In their Wednesday court filing, attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld were adamant in their stance that negligence had taken place. "Firemen did not attempt to extinguish the fire at Ms. Tintor's vehicle for approximately 20 minutes at which time the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames," they said. Their filing, however, did not identify their witness. Ruggs' attorneys are at present seeking a court order to obtain Clark County Fire Department records about the crash and subsequent fire. A court hearing has been scheduled for November 17th.

In contrast a county spokesman reported the assessment of the report from the captain on the scene of the crash. "No delays in response or in the attack on the fire. 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."

Chesnoff and Schonfeld declined to give any further comments saying only that their request for the records was part of their crash investigation. According to the attorneys, the witness told them that he was at home nearby when he heard the crash and went to look. Their court filing states that firefighters were "in a position to extinguish the vehicle fire while it was in its infancy stages and failed to do so."

Henry Ruggs is in a lot of trouble

If a felony DUI resulting in death and reckless driving charges weren't enough, Ruggs is also facing an additional felony DUI and reckless driving charges and a misdemeanor charge for possession of a firearm while intoxicated. If convicted the additional charges will mean even more prison time for Ruggs. Speaking on the charges, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said, "The evidence supports a second felony DUI charge, We believe that Mr. Ruggs' girlfriend [Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington] was substantially injured, and under Nevada law, if one is substantially injured in a DUI collision as a result of the defendant's actions, we can file a second charge." A former first-round NFL draft pick, Ruggs faces at least two years of mandatory prison time if he's convicted. Should he be convicted on all charges, he could face more than 50 years in jail.

Ruggs has since posted $150,000 bail and confined to house arrest with strict conditions including alcohol level tests four times a day.