Mother killed by suspected DUI driver in Concord while on way to work
Wife and mother on her way to work at Safeway killed by suspected drunk driver in Concord
A longtime Safeway worker was killed over the weekend in Concord by a suspected drunk driver going the wrong way. The devoted wife and mother was on her way to work. Her devastated husband and father speak against driving under the influence to try to save lives.
CONCORD, Calif. - A mother was on her way to work in Clayton when she was killed by a suspected drunk driver this past weekend.
‘I miss my wife’
What they're saying:
Her heartbroken husband spoke about their loss and their message to others not to drink and drive.
"I miss my wife," said Armando Sanchez.
He is struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of his wife, Eva Rodas.
"We eat together at the same time. We wake up; we go to work together; come back together at the same time; everything together," Sanchez said. He said his life would never be the same.
Featured
Video shows driver opening fire on motorist in Livermore
Video surfaced of the moment a driver opened fire on another motorist along a Livermore road earlier this week
Rodas was driving from her home in Oakley early Saturday just before 3 a.m. She was on Kirker Pass Road in Concord, just north of Hess Road, when her vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver.
Wrong-way DUI crash
What we know:
CHP said the driver was going the wrong way when it crashed head-on into Rodas's Toyota 4-runner. Both she and the other driver died at the scene.
Her husband said she was two minutes from her job at the Safeway in Clayton.
"How do people drink and drive? Right now, you can use a lot of apps. Use Lyft, Uber," said Sanchez.
Rodas' coworkers said she was well-loved and described her as being sweet.
Her husband said he uses a tracking app on his phone to make sure his wife gets to work safely.
They both worked at Safeway, but he was off that day. He shared a screenshot of the app when it indicated their SUV had stopped moving that morning.
Sanchez said he knew something was wrong when she didn't respond to his messages. He rushed to the scene to find their vehicle had turned into a mangled pile of metal.
Rodas's father, German Rodriguez, said the loss of his daughter is unbearable and that his heart is broken now.
SEE ALSO: Relative says 3 family members killed in San Leandro house fire
Sanchez said he and his wife saved their money and bought their dream home in Oakley five years ago. He said they had a happy marriage for more than 20 years.
They were raising their 17-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter.
He's worried about how to make mortgage payments on a single salary and raising their two children without his wife.
"It was a beautiful life for me. She was the best. She was everything for me," said Sanchez.
In their home, a single candle was lit in her honor.
Her husband has started an online fundraiser to help pay for funeral expenses. The GoFundMe page can be found here.
Funeral services for the 40-year-old Rodas are scheduled for April 3.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU.
The Source: Interviews with relatives of the victim