Oakland father and delivery driver killed in suspected DUI crash
Oakland father, Amazon driver killed in suspected DUI crash
Daniel Morales, a hardworking Amazon driver and father of three from Oakland, was killed in a suspected DUI crash on his way to work, according to his family. KTVU's Betty Yu reports.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland family is mourning the loss of a 40-year-old husband and father of three, Daniel Morales, who was killed in a suspected DUI crash.
His family said he was headed to Richmond, on his way to work as an Amazon delivery driver early Friday morning.
Morales' was driving his Hyundai Elantra, when he was struck by another driver, suspected of being under the influence, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators say the collision caused Morales’ car to be thrown off the I-80 overpass in Albany. It landed upside down on the road below, killing him instantly.
Authorities say the driver of a Toyota Camry had been driving recklessly before the crash, which happened around 3:30 am. A big-rig also got caught up in the three-car crash.
Daniel Morales' Hyundai flipped over the I-80 overpass at Buchanan Street in Albany, where he died. June 27, 2025
A hardworking family man
"I couldn’t believe it, that was my dad," Morales' son, Adrian Oliva, said on Monday. "My dad was a really responsible person. He would work from 3 a.m. to 12 a.m."
He said Morales held four jobs, mostly delivering packages for Amazon and sometimes for DoorDash. DoorDash delivery bags were strewn about the road after the crash.
His family says he had just spent the previous week enjoying some time off with relatives visiting from Guatemala. They went to a Metallica concert at Levi's Stadium, visited Lake Tahoe, and toured San Francisco landmarks.
"She still doesn’t believe what happened," Morales’ wife, Erika Aguirre, said, speaking in Spanish. "He would never drink, no drugs, no nothing. He didn’t deserve what happened to him."
She described Morales as kind and happy. He was a devoted husband and father to three children, ages 11, 16 and 19. His nickname was "El Patojo."
"Just miss him, just miss him," said daughter Karol Oliva Aguirre. "Sad."
The family created a makeshift memorial in their backyard to honor Morales, who also loved playing the guitar.
"It makes me feel mad because my dad was a family man, he was a hard worker, he cared about all his friends and his family," Oliva said. "He was a really kind person, he was a role model to me. He was my hero. What happened to him: He didn’t deserve that."
Daniel Morales leaves behind a wife and three children after he was killed in a DUI on June 27, 2025 in Albany.
Calls for Justice
The suspected driver, an El Cerrito man in his 30s, was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony DUI. He was not injured in the crash.
"She wants whoever did it, if it’s true that they were under the influence, that they get time, because it’s not just," said Oliva, who interpreted for his mother.
"If he was here, I’d tell him I love him, because while he was here, I never had the chance, because I’m not really a person that says that," Oliva said.
According to his son, Morales had dreams of one day getting a bigger house, so the entire family could live together under one roof.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses and support them through their grief.