On Monday afternoon, family members of Larry Garcia, revisited the area of their loved one’s fatal crash site to pick up pieces of his car and try to make sense of what had happened just hours before.
DPS said the Lubbock County’s Sheriff’s Office got a call around 4 a.m. Monday morning of a “suspicious vehicle” on Highway 87 near F.M. 41 in south Lubbock County.
According to DPS, when officers arrived on scene, they found a male unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and officials were then able to identify him as 34-year-old Larry Garcia of Lubbock.
Woodrow Volunteer Fire Department also assisted at the crash scene.
DPS said it appeared that the vehicle had rolled over, ejecting the driver. They reported that Garcia appeared to have been driving high speeds in his Camaro and was not wearing a seatbelt.
Hours after the crash, Garcia’s family members pulled up to the crash site and began to walk around the area and pick up pieces of his vehicle.
Norma Reyes, his aunt, shared that although he was her nephew, that she and her siblings considered him to be more like a little brother. Reyes said the night before his crash, Garcia had been watching the Super bowl with his family.
Reyes says Garcia leaves behind his wife, two girls and a son, in addition to several other family members and friends.
“He’s a kind-hearted person. One of the nicest persons you could come across. He would do anything for anybody,” shared Reyes. “I just felt like I needed to come out here for, maybe for peace in my heart, you know? Or to see where he took his last breath.”
Reyes shared that Garcia prioritized his family above everything else, and that he served in Afghanistan twice.
A co-worker of Garcia’s shared that his nickname was, “Smiley,” because of his friendly nature and because he could always be seen smiling. According to the co-worker, Garcia had worked as a correctional officer at the Montford Unit.
According to DPS officials, the crash investigation remains ongoing.
