Newlywed mourns Road Ranger killed on I-95 in Hollywood on New Year's morning
SUNRISE - Jose Parra got married five months ago.
On New Year's Day, any future plans he made ended with his sudden death.
The 28-year-old Venezuelan native was killed working his overnight job as a Road Ranger on Interstate 95 in Hollywood. He worked for IncidentClear, a subcontractor for the Florida Department of Transportation to provide no-cost highway assistance.
"We spoke about the danger everyday," his widow Staci Myers Parra said Thursday.
"It was very scary. You don't know what is going to happen. You've got to make sure of your surroundings. He did everything he could. He had all his lights on, all his reflective gear on. This should never have happened from the beginning."
Parra is grieving her loss with the rest of the family at the Sunrise home where she met Jose a year ago.
His father Javier Parra flew to Florida from Texas carrying with him a picture from Christmas. Jose wearing is his Road Ranger uniform under a holiday outfit.
"He was telling me that he was worried because there were too many crazy people driving around," Javier Parra said.
While Jose Parra was helping clear an accident in the express lane early Wednesday morning, a southbound driver went out of control causing the chain-reaction fatal crash that also injured two Florida Highway Patrol trooper, according to FHP.
"We all said that is dangerous," his grandmother, Doris Tortorici, said "He wanted to help people. He was looking forward to being a fireman."
Myers Parra says she had a bad feeling about him working the New Year's Eve shift
"I had a friend pass away that same day three years ago in a crash but he said he had to work," she said. "He loved to help others."
