GoFundMe Created For Tanker Driver Killed In Fiery 105 Freeway Crash
FILLMORE (CBSLA) -- A GoFundMe account has been created for the tanker driver killed in a fiery crash on the 105 Freeway in Hawthorne on Friday.
The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Leo Cabrera.
KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo spoke to Cabrera's 11-year-old son, Joseph, and family members and family friends.
Cabrera's widow, Linda, was too grief-stricken to talk.
"He was a good father," said Joseph, choking back tears. "He cared about others, he was a nice man."
The boy feels the weight of his father's loss. So do his relatives. They described Leo as a hard-worker, dedicated, one even calling him a "workaholic" who would do anything for his family.
"He was a great father. He was always there for his wife and kids," said Jaime Chavez, the victim's brother-in-law.
"He was a great man, a loyal man. He was always there for his family and for everyone," said family friend Cecilia Vega.
Cabrera worked out of a trucking center in San Fernando.
He was nearing the end of his shift when the accident happened. He had just picked up his last load -- 40,000 gallons of fuel -- and was headed to the drop off area when the crash occurred.
Cabrera apparently tried to swerve to avoid an SUV that ended up hitting the rear of one of his tanks. The rear tank overturned and slammed into the divider causing an explosion. The SUV driver was also killed.
Cabrera's family believes the dedicated father did one more selfless act before he died.
Officials said skid marks on the freeway stretched the length of a football field and would indicate Cabrera was doing everything he could to try to control the vehicle -possibly sparing others on the road.
His family said he loved his two kids (in addition to Joseph, the couple has a 7-month-old daughter) and the Dodgers.
"We're all just still in shock," said a family friend.
This is not the first tragedy the family has dealt with recently. In 2017, Cabrera and his wife lost a baby son, Noah, who was born premature in 2016.
At this writing, about $13,000 of the $35,000 goal was raised. For more information and a link to the GoFundMe account, click here.