A truck driver faces a manslaughter charge in North Texas. Police say he backed an 18-wheeler down a highway ramp. A Garland woman died in the crash.

The crash happened early on Friday, September 4. Crews got the call at 3:17 a.m. It was on the ramp from westbound Interstate 30 to northbound Interstate 635.

Police found a brown Chevrolet Equinox under the back of a semi trailer. The SUV caught fire. Officers and firefighters put out the flames. Then they pulled the driver out.

The woman who died was Lisa Maldonado, 33, of Garland. Police named her in their report. She was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. She died there at 4:35 a.m.

The truck driver is Khasan Begbaev, 39, of Brooklyn, New York. He was not hurt. He stayed at the scene. Police arrested him that same day. They booked him into the Mesquite City Jail.

Begbaev is charged with one count of manslaughter. That is a second-degree felony in Texas, which can mean 2 to 20 years in prison. No bond amount has been made public.

Begbaev told police he took the wrong exit. He said he was trying to drive to Austin. He said he was going slow in the left lane. He said his hazard lights were on. In a written statement, he said the SUV hit his trailer at high speed. He said he was turning right at the time.

Then police looked at his truck. They saw a dash cam on the front glass. Black tape covered the screen. Begbaev let them open the video files.

The video told a different story. Police say it showed the truck stop on the ramp. Then it showed the truck back up slowly. Other cars went past on the right. About two minutes later, the SUV hit the back of the truck. The truck stopped for a moment. Then it pulled ahead a short way.

Those facts come from the arrest warrant affidavit. That is a sworn police paper. It lays out why police made an arrest.

Texas law bans backing up on a highway like this one. So does New York law. Police wrote that Begbaev holds a commercial license. They wrote that he chose to ignore a clear risk. He backed down the ramp in the dark, they wrote.

A drug expert checked Begbaev at the scene. The expert found no signs of drugs or drink. Begbaev also agreed to give blood. Police have not said he was drunk. They have not said he was high. They have not said he was on a phone.

Many Valley drivers work long truck routes for a living. Some haul freight north through Dallas. The rule is the same for all of them. You do not back up on a Texas highway.

The Mesquite Police Department Traffic Unit is still working the case.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.