'We're broken and lost': Wife of truck driver who died in fiery Dallas crash appeals for help
DALLAS, TEXAS: Gustavo Gomez, a truck driver from Dallas, met with an accident when his tractor-trailer flew off of US 75 and caught fire on Tuesday, September 20. Gomez's untimely death has left his family in a state of utter shock. They are asking anyone who has a video of the fatal crash to share it with them so they can gain better clarity and move on.
Gomez is believed to have hit another vehicle on the highway, slammed through the 32-inch highway barrier, and then slid onto the service road below, according to Allen Police Department investigators. Dash camera footage of the enormous car plummeting to the ground was obtained. In the video, its fuel tanks can be seen sparking before flipping over and catching fire as the 18-wheeler burns to the ground. The driver of the other vehicle was not hurt, and WFAA cameras captured him helping cops.
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Helen Torres, Gomez's wife, revealed to WFAA on September 21, Wednesday that her husband was transporting mail for the USPS to Missouri. She claimed that he worked as a driver for Bancroft and Sons Transportation and that the delivery was being handled by the firm. She added that her husband worked as a driver for the firm for about 21 years.
JUST IN: family has confirmed that Gustavo Gomez, 71, was the man driving that semi-truck yesterday that flew off of US 75 and burst into flames.
— Matt Howerton (@HowertonNews) September 22, 2022
Gomez sadly died.
His wife told me Gomez had been a truck driver for nearly 21 years--living in Dallas that entire time.
(@wfaa) pic.twitter.com/r82Wdd4E1R
Torres said, "He was a very hard worker. He always has been for his family. Whatever it was, whether it was driving across the country or not, he always made sure we were taken care of and provided for. He was such a good man. Very witty, always acting like a comedian making sure no one was sad."
"He was kindhearted and would help anyone who needed it. If it were in his hands and he could help at that moment, he would," Torres added. She claimed that she has been seeing Gomez since 1987 and they got married in 2001. She said that Gomez adopted three kids she had from a previous relationship. Two of the couple's own children were later born.
Torres stated that Gomez immigrated to Dallas in the early 1980s, enjoyed automobiles and driving, and discovered that working as a semi-truck driver was a perfect fit. She further stated that safety must always come first when operating a truck for 20 years.
Torres believes that her husband shouldn't be blamed for the disaster even though it was said that the second automobile was struck by her husband's 18-wheeler, but Allen PD hasn't said how or who was to blame. She said, "He was always so careful. He always made sure his trucks were good when they were driving or before he drove."
"He always knew what he was driving, he knew that was a big machine and that he had to be watching out for everybody," Torres added. Anyone with dash camera footage of the events leading up to the crash is asked to contact Torres and the Allen PD investigators. "We're broken right now, and we're lost. We need some understanding of what happened so we can move forward," Torres said.