A San Antonio mother and her young son's lives were tragically cut short earlier this month by a suspected drunk driver, leaving their family to grieve and speak out against the dangers of intoxicated driving. Vanesa Ramos and her 5-year-old, Solumen Lopez, were hit while on their regular evening walk near their home off Stone Oak Parkway when Marlon Daniels, 56, allegedly lost control of his vehicle and crashed into them.
Struggling with the painful aftermath, Rick Barrera, the brother-in-law of Ramos, recalled the victims' lives to KENS 5. Bringing to mind the youthfulness of Ramos, Barrera describes her growing from a playful child herself into a devoted mother. “You had two people that had a long life ahead and it was struck in an instance, literally just taken away,” Barrera expressed.
Daniels is now facing dual charges of intoxication manslaughter. Despite the looming legal processes, the family's pain is palpable. Solumen, who was autistic, had found a devoted advocate in his mother, who was deeply involved in the autism community. Remembering Solumen's fondness for the outdoors, Barrera shared with KENS5, “Solumen liked to play with rocks, he liked to be outside, he liked to run around. So, this was their nightly routine.”
The bereaved have been drawing some comfort from visiting a makeshift memorial near the site of the crash. “Jeffery the father is suffering with the fact that he usually would’ve been on these walks and just for whatever reason he was not this one time,” Barrera told KENS 5.
