Three students, two adults injured in vehicle vs. building

Odessa American, Texas
Updated ·2 min read

May 14—A May 10 accident resulted in four people being transported to Medical Center Hospital by Odessa Fire Rescue.

Three students and two adults are injured after a crash Friday morning. At 11:44 a.m., the Odessa Police Department and Odessa Fire Rescue responded to a major crash involving a gray Toyota Highlander that drove through Alfredo's Paleteria at 42nd St and Bonham Avenue.

Rhonda Thomas, 66, of Odessa was facing west in the 1900 block of E. 42nd Street, attempting to make a left-hand turn in her 2018 Toyota Highlander. As she was making her turn through stopped traffic, she failed to yield the right of way to a red Ford Expedition that was traveling eastbound in the 1900 block of East 42nd St causing her front end to strike the left rear quarter panel of the Expedition, according to information from the City of Odessa.

Thomas then accelerated instead of braking her vehicle as she entered the parking lot. Thomas struck a juvenile before crashing through the Alfredo's Paletaria near Permian High School. There were seven people injured inside the business. The safety of our students and staff will always be our top priority.

One of those injured, 16-year-old Augusto De Souza, a Permian High School student and soccer player who plays for Savage FC West Texas, has been in a Lubbock hospital since Friday, CBS 7 reported.

A GoFund Me page has been started to help De Souza with his recovery after the accident visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-augustos-recovery-after-accident?utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2xBROCSVjIMgY4Wyg20YSBd-Ns5jrOzh-IA4WtzFnispbTi02kb65RkLk_aem_AVh5W1HQmdl8tVa3LE1c6qY3_z2Qs9ONT556GHOX5F9R15j2XlpRHLWVP4S7PFI8N84FZtVqYXBtueSQJ9Pk9hKa

Principal Delesa Styles said additional counselors were brought in after the accident.

Asked if anything would be done differently at lunch because of the accident, Styles said, "Administration works closely with ECISD's Police Department and OPD to proactively address safety concerns and make adjustments as needed."