Phoenix man killed in crash, leaving behind pregnant wife and their kids

Yahoo

23-04-2025

The Brief
A Phoenix man was killed in a wrong-way crash on the night of April 18, leaving behind his kids and pregnant wife.
Ricardo Quintero, 35, was driving near 43rd and Glendale avenues when, for unknown reasons, a driver crossed over into his lane.
Both drivers died from their injuries, Phoenix Police say.
PHOENIX - A deadly crash that happened on Friday night claimed the lives of two drivers in Phoenix.
Phoenix Police say one of the cars crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the other car on April 18 near 43rd and Glendale avenues at around 10:30 p.m.
Now, a Phoenix family is grieving the loss of a father killed by the wrong-way driver.
What they're saying
Ricardo Quintero, 35, was a man of many trades.
A son, a twin, and a husband. Most importantly, he was a father of three children, with one on the way.
"It's been really hard. I lost everything. He was my everything," said his wife, Joselyn Orono.
She has been married to Quintero for nearly eight years. The two are expecting another child later this year.
"We were so excited because we were supposed to find out the gender next week. Now I'm left thinking, what am I going to do now?" she said.
Orono says on the day the crash happened, Quintero dropped his son off at his mom's house, then drove home to drop off his daughter.
"And then he walked out the door and didn't come back," she said.
Quintero was on his way to the gym, but never made it.
"He was supposed to be at the gym EOS on 43rd and Glendale. He passed on 43rd and Myrtle at 10:30 p.m. So just what, five or six minutes after he dropped off my little one," she said.
Dig deeper
Phoenix Police say Donnie Martinez, 23, was driving northbound on 43rd Avenue when his car crossed into oncoming traffic, crashing into Quintero's car. Neither driver survived.
"So devastated. It's been devastating for all of us," Yesenia Ramirez, a family member of Quintero's said.
Orono plans to keep her husband's memory alive.
Talented at guessing the gender correctly in the past, he told Orono about a dream he had about their next child.
"He said this one was a baby girl and her name would be Kaya. If it turns out to be true, I'm going to honor him that way," she said.
Her late husband treated everyone like family, and was known to be everyone's emergency contact.
"Whoever met my husband, keeps him in mind. I hope a little bit of him rubbed off on everybody, on all the lives he touched, because we can all use a little bit more of Rico in this world," she said.
What's next
Quintero's family is now tasked with planning a funeral. A GoFundMe has been set up, and you can find it by clicking here.
"It is unknown if impairment is a factor in this collision and will not be known until toxicology results become available. Additional details about the collision remain part of the ongoing investigation," Phoenix Police said.