CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. – A father who was supporting his family in Guatemala was killed on Midlothian Turnpike Saturday by a teen driver who police say was racing another vehicle at the time of the crash.
Friends say that the victim, Jacinto Lopez Marcos, 37, was walking to work, not far from his home when he was struck by a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Police say teenagers were racing east on Midlothian Turnpike when one car struck a pedestrian. Marcos was transported to Chippenham Hospital, but he was pronounced dead hours later.
"He was a nice guy," said Jose Gonzales, who worked with Marcos at a international grocery store on Midlothian Turnpike.
Now, Gonzales holds a donation box with Jacinto Lopez Marcos's face on it.
Gonzales said Marcos often talked about his wife and two daughters in Guatemala. They were the motivation that got him through his late night shifts as a stocker.
"Every day he would fix the rice and soups," said Belinda Reynoso, another coworker. "He was so hard working."
The co-workers are reeling from the tragedy and doing what they can to raise money to fly Marcos's body back to his country where his wife and two daughters will say their final goodbyes.
"We knew that he didn't have enough money to send his body to Guatemala," said Reynoso.
Chesterfield Police have charged two teens in connection with the crash that killed the father of two.
The driver of the vehicle involved in the crash has been charged with racing – causing death or injury to another person, an unclassified felony. As of Tuesday morning, the teen was being held at the Chesterfield County Juvenile Detention Home.
The driver of the other vehicle was charged with misdemeanor racing.
Jacinto's co-workers at store will continue to take up donations with a box at the register hoping to raise enough money to send the father back to his girls in Guatemala.