Hard-working dad killed in Langley crash
The man killed Monday in a police-involved, three-vehicle collision in Langley has been identified as father-of-two Victor Duarte.
Duarte’s friends and colleagues described the 47-year-old Delta man as a dedicated family man.
“He was a man with the biggest heart you have ever met,” said his best friend Shannon Tock. “I remember years ago when [Duarte and his wife] first got pregnant, he was working two jobs all the way to cover the bases. He’s always been hard-working.”
Duarte was also a hands-on “awesome dad” to his two kids,” said Tock, who worked with Duarte for 10 years when Duarte was general manager at Provence Mediterranean Grill in Vancouver.
Langley RCMP were conducting a speed trap in the 24000-block 0 Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. Monday when a green truck sped away.
Three minutes later, the truck crashed with two other vehicles — including Duarte’s — at the intersection of 16th Avenue and 240th Street. Duarte died at the scene. The male driver of the truck was arrested.
Duarte worked as a sales account executive with SpeedLine Solutions, an Abbotsford-based, point-of-sale software company.
“He was very dedicated to his job, a hard worker and a great guy around the office,” said manager Bryan Champ. “He is already greatly missed by us all.”
The Independent Investigation Office is probing the circumstances around the crash, including whether there was a police chase.
“That would be a question that would be on the top of our investigators’ minds,” said spokeswoman Kellie Kilpatrick.
Tock said he doesn’t know the events that led up to the crash.
“I don’t know if the police was remiss, but there is a driver that was,” he said. “I don’t have my friend any more. There’s not much that can change that.”
Friends have set up a trust fund for Duarte’s family at the Royal Bank under the name Victor Duarte.