Family mourning father killed on Loop 202 in Phoenix trying to remove a wheelbarrow
PHOENIX - A family is remembering the loss of a father killed in a crash on Loop-202 on Nov. 9 in Phoenix – they believe he was trying to do a good deed.
Investigators say the man who died, Adrian Moreno, was out of his truck on the highway to remove a wheelbarrow, possibly trying to prevent a car crash.
The most recent Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) crash data report in 2021 reveals a spike in fatal crashes, the highest number since 2006 with 1,063 fatal crashes.
Although Moreno’s family is not focused on the stats, they are simply devastated.
Adrian Moreno with loved ones
‘Something’s wrong …'
"I kept calling him, no answer and that’s when I knew. Something told me something’s wrong," said Stephanie Reyes, Moreno's daughter.
Moreno’s phone kept ringing.
He was on the way home from work driving the same route he took almost every day on Loop-202. This time he didn’t make it home.
Reyes says her family eventually found her dad’s green pickup truck on the side of the freeway near 51st Avenue. Moreno was taken to the hospital where a nurse give them the tragic news.
"'Your dad didn’t make it.' At that point I wanted to see him. I couldn’t see him. 'Til this day we haven’t seen him," Reyes said.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) says Moreno got out of his truck to pick up a wheelbarrow that was in one of the lanes before a passing truck hit him. The crash closed the northbound lanes for hours.
DPS says it’s unknown if the wheelbarrow was his, but Moreno’s family says it wasn't.
"I think maybe he almost crashed into it or something, and he said, 'Oh, let me pull over, take it out so no one else gets hurt," said Daisy Reyes, Moreno's daughter
ADOT's 2021 crash facts report shows pedestrian fatalities have increased since 2019. The numbers increase from 220, 235, 257 and are up 10% from last year.
Daisy says her father got to meet her baby girl the day before he died.
"It feels good that he was able to meet her, but he took care of me so much during my pregnancy that I really wish he was here to enjoy her, so I guess that’s what’s killing me," she said.
DPS says no charges will be filed due to this death being accidental.
You can donate to the family by visiting their GoFundMe.