One man dead after truck plows into garage sale
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A woman is left in shock after her fiance was struck and killed by a pickup truck as they were shopping at a garage sale.
Marsella Rodriguez says the victim -- Leonardo Valdez, 46 -- was a father of two, who worked at the Palazzo and Venetian.
Marsella and Leonardo were planning to get married in Mexico this November. Now, she's trying to figure out how she will live without him.
"Leonardo was the best person in my life," she describes. "He was a good, hardworking man. I don't know how this happened. We had stopped at the garage sale to look for something, on our way to work. In minutes, this big truck just came out of nowhere, flying into the driveway."
The accident happened around 2:45 p.m. Sunday, at a home on Hacienda, just east of Pecos. A red Chevrolet pickup truck hit Leonardo before plowing into a cinder block wall.
"The scene looked like a bomb went off," said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Richard Strader. "I can't even think of a worse situation, than to watch your loved one get killed right in front of you."
Police are investigating what caused the elderly driver of the truck, 76-year-old Rogelio Nunez, to lose control. They believe he may have suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel. But they haven't yet ruled out drugs or alcohol.
"He was driving westbound on Hacienda, when he actually crossed the center, and went on the wrong side of the road against traffic," Sgt. Strader describes. "He proceeded to strike the sidewalk, then go up into the driveway, where the garage sale was being held."
"It's a tragedy," says Leonardo's sister-in law, who showed up at the scene with other family members. "He came here from Cuba. He has two daughters. We will all miss him terribly."
Two other people at the garage sale were taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center with minor injuries. The driver of the pickup truck and his wife, who was in the passenger seat, were also transported to the hospital. They're both expected to be okay.
This is the 59th fatal accident in Metro's jurisdiction this year.
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