ARLINGTON, Texas — Yarielis Vazquez and her mother, Julie Maldonado, have matching tattoos.
“I have the moon and she has the sun because she is light,” said Vazquez.
She said the tattoos are more than symbols. They represent a promise.
“She did say if anything ever happened to her before me, for me to get the eclipse because that’s when the moon covers the sun,” said Vazquez. It is a darkness that Vazquez never wanted to feel.
Friday, Maldonado and her boyfriend, Damien Espinoza, were heading home after a motorcycle meet with friends. Family said Espinoza always followed behind her to make sure Maldonado was safe. They stopped at a red light on Watson Road and Webb Lynn Road in Arlington speaking with each other on intercoms just before the light turned green.
"As she was taking off, she was like I love you. A second and a half, not even a second later, she wasn’t here,” said Espinoza.
Arlington Police said a Dodge Charger ran the red light hitting 43-year-old Maldonado before driving away. Shortly after, police arrested and identified the driver of that Charger as 22-year-old Kenneth Polk. He is charged with intoxication manslaughter and collision involving death. Police said just before the crash, witnesses saw Polk hit a nearby mailbox and continued to drive.
“That was God telling him, hey, you can’t drive. You need to stop or you’re going to hurt someone, and he ignored it. He hurt a lot of someone’s because she lost her life, and we lost her,” said Vazquez. “She was completely geared up. She had her jacket, her boots, her gloves, her helmet, even her slip under her helmet.”
Espinoza said an unknown nurse stopped give Maldonado CPR until the ambulance came. That next day, Maldonado died in the hospital from her injuries.
“I can’t get it out of my mind,” said Espinoza.
Sunday, the biker community came to where the crash happened to pay their respect to Maldonado, who they called their Puerto Rican princess.
“She always, always, always had a light about her,” said Amber Tinker, Maldonado’s friend. “I just hate that we’re having to continuously see in the DFW bike accidents happen due to people just not being vigilant. I just want everyone to take a moment. Look left and right and make sure that you’re keeping an eye out for motorcycles."
“A small 15 to 20 bucks to save a life, that’s too much? I don’t think so. My mom was worth more than a Lyft drive,” said Vazquez.
Maldonado was a mother, grandmother and a friend. “I don’t know how one person can have so many people’s hearts, but she does, and she still does,” said Vazquez. Maldonado’s family has a GoFundMe for anyone who would like to support the family with funeral arrangements.
Maldonado’s friends and family said another biker who was out with Maldonado earlier Friday also died in a separate motorcycle accident. Fort Worth Police said on August 24 around 11 p.m., they responded to a motorcycle accident on East Loop 820 South Freeway. They said a motorcyclist was attempting to pass a truck that was pulling a trailer when the motorcyclist crashed into a barrier.
Family members told WFAA the motorcyclist was Fantasia Williamson. They have also created a GoFundMe. Family members said Williamson had a "heart of gold and was always ready to lend a hand."
“The bikers, 99% of their gear is black, so look out for them. It doesn’t hurt anybody to take an extra peek," said Vazquez. “A car versus motorcycle, a car is going to win every time, so just look.”
Member of the biker community said they will have a memorial ride for both Maldonado and Williamson to honor their lives.