Hit-and-run driver slams into Dallas food truck, throwing boiling water onto cook

DALLAS – Dallas police are looking for the driver of a Dodge Charger who struck a food truck and drove off.

Video shows the driver taking off from the scene of the wreck on February 18, leaving their car’s bumper in the middle of the road.

One of the co-owners of the food truck suffered burns as a result of the crash.

The family-owned food truck is taken to Downtown Dallas on the weekends.

One night, three employees were put in danger when they said the driver of a black Charger was driving recklessly and crashed into the truck. The driver took off.

Inside the food truck, one of the cooks suffered second-degree burns.

Some of Ivan Licea’s scars are still visible. Last week, the left side of his body was covered in second-degree burns from boiling hot water.

“I started thinking of my kids and my family. I just lost my wife two years ago,” Licea said.

Licea recently opened the food truck, Tacos Caita, to honor his wife’s legacy, who died from colon cancer. Her dream was to have her own restaurant.

So the single father of three poured his savings into jump-starting the business six months ago.

About 30 minutes into his shift on February 18, Licea was unexpectedly knocked unconscious.

“It was just a huge hit in the back. We did not know literally what happened,” he recalled.

Licea said a black Charger slammed into the side of the trailer at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Olive Street.

Customers on the street took photos and videos. They told police two men got out of the Charger, opened up the trunk, and then got back in.

As the Charger left, the front bumper came off, but the driver didn’t stop.

“I tried to get up from the floor, but I had soup on my head and steam water on my body,” Licea said.

Licea was taken to a Dallas hospital and has been in and out of Parkland’s Burn Unit for appointments over the past week. His other two co-workers had minor injuries.

Co-owner Hugo Miranda hopes police can track down the two men to ensure they take responsibility.

“It’s not about hitting us. The material stuff doesn’t matter to me. It’s about their lives and well-being. That is what bothers me a lot. They didn’t even check on them,” Miranda said. “They didn’t open the door to check on them.”

DART Police officers were nearby and responded to the scene. The report has been passed to the Dallas Police Department, which is investigating.

No arrests have been announced, but police do have a clear picture of the Charger’s license plate.

The Charger also has severe damage to the front end.