Background: News footage of the traffic after the fatal crash that killed Perry Hernandez on Feb. 6 (KTLA). Inset: Perry Hernandez (Facebook).
A California man who finally got the chance to take his motorcycle out for a ride was killed in a hit-and-run crash.
Perry Hernandez, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash involving his motorcycle, a BMW, and a box truck in the early morning hours of Feb. 6. According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash took place around 6 a.m., and Hernandez was found lying in the road. Local CW affiliate KTLA reported that the other vehicles involved remained at the scene when first responders arrived, but the box truck left the scene.
Hernandez's family members are now asking the public for help in finding the driver of that box truck.
In an interview with KTLA, Hernandez's wife and adult children talked about their loss and need for answers weeks after losing their loved one. Marissa Hernandez, the victim's daughter, said her father "had not ridden his motorcycle for a while and was excited to do so again" on the morning of the fatal crash. She said he left the home early in the morning to ride his motorcycle to his job.
Marissa Hernandez told KTLA that her grandmother, Perry Hernandez's mother, did not receive her usual phone call from her son on the morning of Feb. 6, which was a "red flag." After several unanswered calls to Perry Hernandez, the family turned on the news and saw the traffic backed up on the 110 freeway in Los Angeles, California. The cameras then turned to the site of the crash, and the family recognized the motorcycle in the middle of the road.
Their worst fears were confirmed by the police, who learned of Perry Hernandez's identity through the medical examiner.
Perry Hernandez's son, Perry Hernandez Jr., said the box truck driver's apparent decision to flee the scene while his father lay in the road made "no sense." He told KTLA, "[I] just think about him laying there and the person just driving away and living their day-to-day life."
Marissa Hernandez was equally troubled by the truck driver's alleged choice to leave the scene, telling KTLA, "It wasn't okay for them to do what they did and treat him as if he was nothing. He had us to come home to."
Perry Hernandez Jr. said he had just told his father that he was going to be a grandfather. He told KTLA, "My wife's pregnant, and knowing my child won't have their grandpa or my dad there, it hurts."
Marissa Hernandez teared up as she told KTLA, "When I get married, I won't have my dad to walk me down the aisle."
Vahagn Koshkaryan, an attorney representing the Hernandez family, urged the driver and the company that may own the box truck and employ the driver to "be forthcoming … otherwise they could possibly be facing some criminal charges."
KTLA reported that the California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, but has not arrested anyone yet. The Hernandez family and friends are seeking information and asking the public for help.
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