Aspiring firefighter, a father of three, died helping others
EMT was assisting stranded I-45 motorist when he was struck, killed by hit-run driver
Juan Flores, who worked as a welder full-time while attending classes on weekends to become an EMT, reached that goal two years ago, a step toward realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter.
On Sunday, hours after he died, Flores, 24, was to celebrate fulfilling that dream. Instead, he passed away in the early hours doing what fulfilled him—helping others. On the way to meet his wife and 3 sons, Flores was struck by a car on Interstate 45 near Cypress Station while assisting a stranded driver.
“As much as it hurts me that he passed away, he was always excited to help others, and he did that,” said his wife, Ashley Flores, in an interview on Tuesday.
She met her husband four years ago at the Igelsia Bautista Nueva Jerusalem church in east Houston. He played the electric guitar in a worship band, and they struck up a conversation after services.
“At the time I was going through a lot, and he saved me,” Flores said. “My husband was my hero before he became everybody else’s hero.”
Flores, a Houston native, worked at Mateco Truck Equipment while he studied to become an EMT. In 2016, when he
achieved that goal, his mother-in-law, Aguayo Saldivar, said he worked two full-time jobs at different emergency rooms while striving toward his “biggest” dream: becoming a firefighter.
“All he did was help others,” Saldivar said. “He would live paycheck to paycheck because it was hard being the only supporter for his family and pay for his books and school.”
"You were my inspiration, a good example of a good father to your kids," Juan’s sister, Priscilla, stated Monday on Facebook. "You were so brave brother, always putting your life at risk to save other life's.”
Juan Flores and the driver he stopped to aid around 3:30 a.m. were outside their vehicles when a white Ford F-150 pickup truck struck the rear of the motorist’s disabled silver Dodge Charger. A white Honda Civic traveling behind the Ford pickup then swerved to avoid the vehicles and struck the victims.
The driver of the Ford fled while paramedics were tending to Flores and the motorist, who also died. Police have not arrested anyone.
On social media, Flores’ relatives have urged anyone with information on the driver who fled the scene to call Crime Stoppers.
“My nephew left behind a wife and three kids, hit by a suspected drunk driver,” Samuel Navarro said Monday on Facebook. “All he was trying to do was help a stranded driver. Please, I’m asking for the public’s help.”
Relatives set up a GoFundMe page for the young family, now missing its sole breadwinner. By Tuesday evening, donors had surpassed the $16,000 goal.
Ashley Flores described her husband as a “goofball” and “jokester” who always thought about his family. He was easygoing and “connected with everybody,” his wife said.
Relatives recalled him regularly bringing his sons, who are 9 months, 1 year and 3 years old, to his favorite spot in Texas City. Fishing made him feel “free,” his wife said.
“He always wanted to be a great father, and he was a great father,” Ashley said. “I will always tell my kids that.”
A memorial has been planned for 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Igelsia Bautista Nueva Jerusalem church at 619 Port St. The family welcomes all who wish to attend.
Ashley said her husband learned in July he had passed his final exam through Lone Star College to become a firefighter, and he wanted to celebrate with his family last Sunday. In the wake of his death, those plans have been rescheduled, not canceled, his wife said.
“Right now we’re just celebrating his life, not his death,” she said.