Widow of Euless officer killed by suspected drunk driver reflects on her husband's life
EULESS, Texas - Priscilla Cervantes has no memory of the crash that killed her husband and left her unconscious for days, a crash caused by a suspected drunken driver.
What she is choosing to reflect on is the life her husband lived and his service to the public.
Priscilla says her husband he was a gentleman. He would open car doors for her and even put her seat belt on for her.
Now, she’s speaking publicly for the first time since a suspected drunk driver wrecked their family.
"I didn’t even know where I was at. I had no idea where my boys were. I had no idea about Alex," Priscilla said.
She said she doesn’t recall the vehicle crash in November which led to her being in a hospital for nearly a month.
"No recollection of that," she said.
Priscilla had a broken vertebrae, rib fractures, punctured lung, ruptured spleen, and nerve damage. She was sedated for three weeks.
RELATED: Widow of Euless officer killed by suspected drunk driver out of hospital
When she woke up, she was told her husband, Euless PD detective Alex Cervantes, didn’t survive the crash.
"I think it was just hard for me to take in because I couldn’t imagine him not being here," she said.
The Cervantes family was traveling to buy Christmas decorations, when Lake Worth police said Dylan Molina — a suspected drunken driver with a previous DWI arrest — ran a red light while speeding away from a minor crash and t-boned the family.
"At the end of the day, it sinks in that I haven’t got a text, haven’t gotten a phone call and it just sinks in that OK, he’s gone," Priscilla said.
Their 11- and 12-year-old boys were injured but are OK. They wrote letters to place in their father’s casket. His funeral is this weekend.
The youngest, Jake, had a special message for his dad.
"He said that he knows that he wants to be a good man, so he’s going to try and grow up to be a good man for him," Priscilla said.
Priscilla added that she knows just how good Alex was.
"I mean, he was just the type of person that wanted to help and bring out the best in whoever he was helping," she said.
He loved putting on a uniform.
"When he put it on, I mean, it was just flawless on him," she added.
She said her Euless police family has anchored her with love. The community, too.
"You know, the letters, the cards," she said.
A sign, she believes, that her husband’s legacy will live on through those he touched.
"At this point, it’s more about getting Alex and putting him to rest and, you know, honoring him more than anything," she said.
The viewing for Alex is Friday, with his funeral the following day, then his burial on Monday.
RELATED STORIES:
Suspect in DWI crash that killed Euless officer had BAC twice legal limit
Restaurant fundraiser to support fallen Euless police officer’s family
Family of Euless PD detective killed in crash continue to improve from their injuries
TABC joins investigation into off-duty Euless officer death by alleged drunk driver
Euless PD detective killed by suspected drunk driver while driving with family