ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A father is in mourning, after losing his 21-year-old son in a deadly crash late last week. Police are blaming it on a drunk driver. “It took one second,” said Victor Sandoval. Early Friday morning on June 3rd, Sandoval woke up to a father’s worst nightmare.
“His girlfriend, somebody came by early in the morning and people were calling me asking if I’d heard from Victor,” said Sandoval.
After a late night at work his son, Victor Gabriel Sandoval never made it to his girlfriend’s house. Instead, police say a drunk driver was speeding with no headlights on, ran a red light at Osuna and Wyoming in Northeast Albuquerque, and hit the driver’s side of Victor’s SUV.
“We tried calling the hospitals and stuff like that but no one had any answers for us and so I knew something bad happened,” said Sandoval.
Sandoval and his other children were able to identify Victor by the matching tattoos, all of the siblings share. “The first day it was a dream, and then the next day I realized it was a reality and as every day goes by I am trying to find closure,” said Sandoval.
Not only losing his son that day but his best friend. “Me and my son were really really close, he lived with me and he grew up to be a real good man,” said Sandoval. “I knew how much he loved me and I felt the same for him.”
The heartache was unbearable. “I used to always pick on him for his driving and it so happens that somebody else took his life cause of their driving and their stupidity,” said Sandoval.
Right now, he doesn’t want to focus on the driver but on his son who should still be here today. “My son honestly didn’t deserve that I mean he didn’t drink he didn’t do drugs he was a very grown-up man that did a lot of good things in his life,” said Sandoval.
But he still wants justice for his son. “You never know it’s gonna happen to your own blood but when it does it kind of opens up the eyes on the justice system and the way it’s working it’s terrible this guy, what he’s done,” said Sandoval.
Sandoval hopes that the community can see how their actions on the road, can make a lasting impact. A close friend of Victor’s has started a GoFundMe page to help collect money for funeral expenses, if you are interested in donating click here.
