COBB COUNTY, Ga. — For the first time, we’re hearing from the family of one of the victims killed in what police said was a catastrophic series of crashes along Interstate 75 earlier this week.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell learned on Friday that the 59-year-old victim, Victor Parra, was only two exits away from his job when he was killed.
Newell spoke with Parra’s children who said they spoke with their father every single day.
“The one thing I can say about my dad is he always, always put emphasis and stressed to us, family comes first,” daughter Liceth Parra said.
Inside the family’s home, there are countless pictures that display Victor Parra’s pride and joy.
“My dad was loving. He was kind. Strong. He did everything for his family. He would do anything for his family,” Liceth Parra said.
His children remember him as a loving husband -- celebrating 41 years of marriage, five children, and a slew of grandchildren.
“If a kid had a soccer game, there was my dad. If we had something going on, there he was,” daughter Mireya Parra said.
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The family told Newell that Victor Parra was only two exits away from work early Tuesday morning.
“He never made it to work and I’m like, what?” Mireya Parra said.
Police say a 21-year-old stopped her car on the left shoulder of I-75 northbound after she got a flat tire. She was hit and killed after she got out of the car.
A series of catastrophic crashes followed. Victor Parra didn’t survive.
“It has to do with the inexperience, so helping the younger drivers learn what to do in certain situations, how to handle certain situations,” family friend Ana Velasco said.
“The number of accidents that we’ve had recently is alarming,” said Officer Chuck McPhilamy with the Marietta Police Department. “It’s been distracted driving, failing to wear your seatbelt, or impairment. Those are the three biggest
Police say drivers have to be more responsible.
“Look at the vehicles behind me. Every one of them tells a story and each one of them is a tragedy,” McPhilamy said showing Newell several cars that had been involved in a wreck recently.
The community is coming together to help Victor Parra’s wife and they are raising money so he can be buried in his home country.
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