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Teen daughter: Dad won't see graduation because of fatal DUI crash

This teenager said her dad was her best friend. But he won't get to see her graduate. He was killed last night in a crash, caused by another driver who police say was "very drunk."

A 46-year-old man was killed Monday night, when police said a drunken driver hit him as he was driving home from work.
The family of Jose Luis Gonzalez-Olaguez told KIRO 7 they forgive the driver.
“I forgive her, because she has to live with this for the rest of her life,” said Maria Lopez, his ex-wife.
Puyallup police said 24-year-old Kayla Marie Schmidt, the other driver, seemed incoherent at the scene and did poorly in a field sobriety test.
She was booked on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

Police said she ran a red light at the intersection of South Meridian and Pioneer in Puyallup at 11:22 p.m, T-boned a Honda Civic and dragged it 80 feet.
On Tuesday night, police advised they would be closing the intersection where the collision occurred -- for a few hours to investigate.
Gonzalez’s family said he had worked for Pallet Services as a forklift driver for about 20 years, and his shift Monday night was just ending at 11 p.m.
His 16-year-old daughter, Nathalee Gonzalez, said her father was her best friend.
“Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I was ready to buy him flowers,” she said. She said she wanted to tell him he was her favorite person in the world.
Instead, she is thinking about how he won’t get to see her graduate.
“I was planning to have my dad see me walk off stage. The whole goal was for me to finish high school and for me to make him proud,” Gonzalez said.
She and her mother said they hope people see this as a reminder not to drink and drive, so other families don’t have to suffer this way.
“Sometimes we make bad choices, and we can always say, ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me. I apologize.’ But there are times when you make bad choices, and there’s no going back. Ever,” Lopez said.
They described Gonzalez as a shy person, but someone who could make people laugh. He never missed his daughter’s events, and treated his stepchildren like his own.

This teenager told me her dad was her best friend. But he won't get to see her graduate. He was killed last night in a...

Posted by Natasha Chen on Tuesday, February 9, 2016
“Thank you for being such a great man, and we’re going to miss you,” said Deborah Davis, his stepdaughter.
Gonzalez has two older children in Mexico, who are trying to come for the funeral. 
Those who would like to help can contact St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Lakewood.

Cox Media Group

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