Family mourns Army veteran killed in crash on icy Houston highway
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man killed in a car crash during last month's ice storm was a father and an Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq.
Hector Javier Guzman, 41, died from injuries he suffered after a crash on I-10 and McCarty Drive on January 16. It was the most dangerous day on Houston roads in years.
Ice crippled the city and caused hundreds of crashes. That afternoon, Guzman, a father of four, headed out to work and never returned.
"I remember him for the good person he was. To me, he was my hero," said Elvia Guzman, his ex-wife.
The Houston Fire Department responded to the crash. Guzman had to be cut out of the car. He was rushed to the hospital where he died the next day from head injuries.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office believes Guzman was wearing his seatbelt when he lost control of his car on the ice, hit a guardrail and then the back of a UPS truck stopped on the shoulder.
He was a proud 15-year Army veteran who did two tours in Iraq, fighting in Najaf and Fallujah, his ex-wife says.
"How could he have gone and been in two battles, been in such a dangerous place and come back just to die in a car accident?"
It's something Elvia Guzman struggles with everyday. They were high school sweethearts, but divorced after 17 years of marriage. They were recently reconciling, she says, and had so many plans.
She describes her former husband as generous and selfless, and tells Eyewitness News he still serves, even in death.
"He was a hero up until his death because he was an organ donor," she said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with funeral expenses.
