Family members said they are struggling to find answers after their grandfather was killed in a tragic crash Friday when the box truck he was driving collided with a Miami Police Department cruiser.
Angel Morales, 64, a delivery driver for Hialeah-based C.O.D. Supply, was described by his stepdaughter as a devoted husband to his wife, Melba Morales, for 28 years, and was known for his love of family.
“His time spent was at home with his wife, my mother, or at work,” Janet Vega told NBC6.
According to Vega, Morales had retired from C.O.D. Supply, but was working part-time to earn extra money.
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On the morning of the crash, she said Melba had dropped him off at work around 7 a.m.
“My mother dropped him off at work. They shared a car. And that day my mother had my niece, which was like his granddaughter,” Vega said. "And that's the last they saw him at 7 a.m. in the morning.”
The fatal crash occurred just before noon at Northwest 25th Avenue and 28th Street in Allapattah. Two police officers were injured in the collision, while Morales lost his life.
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Vega recounted the heartbreaking moment when she had to inform her mother of Morales' death.
“They called her and they notified her that he had been in an accident but had not confirmed the details,” Vega said. “And then they called me and told me to please go be by her side, because he indeed had passed. So when I arrived to my mother's house to get her like they told me to do, I had to tell my mother that he was gone … Extremely difficult. Nobody ever wants to see your mother breaking down like that. It was very difficult.”
The Miami Police Department said the investigation into the crash, and who may have been at fault, is ongoing, and said Wednesday there were no updates to report.
Vega said not only is their family grieving but searching for answers.
“We want to know what happened,” Vega said. “And nobody is giving answers. We clearly know it was an accident, a tragic accident. And that's all we know. That's all we know. We haven't been given anything else to go by other than it was a tragic accident.”
As they seek closure, Vega said they find strength in remembering Morales' love for his family.
“He was tough, like a tough guy, but so warm at heart,” Vega said. “I mean, when he would talk about people that he loved and cared for, for example, my sister, who has a special needs child, and, you know, he lives a very difficult life. And that's why they love my niece so much, which is like his granddaughter. Like there's not a time that he speaks about them, that he doesn't have tears in his eyes.”
The family says they’ve created a GoFundMe account to cover Morales’ funeral expenses.
