Family mourns loss of mother killed in high-speed Del Valle crash

DEL VALLE, Texas - On January 19, Joanne Menchaca was killed in a car crash alongside her longtime boyfriend, Jose Velazquez. 

“I’m just glad she didn’t die alone,” said Menchaca’s son, Adrian Ramon. 

The Department of Public Safety estimates the driver that hit the couple, Joseph Diaz, 21, was traveling anywhere from 100 to 120 miles per hour at the time of the crash. He told a trooper, he was late for a flight and in a “hurry.” He is now facing manslaughter charges. 

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“My mom deserved better than that, and it’s just wild that he had to take my mom and her boyfriend’s life just because he was late for a flight. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Ramon.

Menchaca was the mother of four boys. “I hope she’s resting.” Ramon laughed, speaking with FOX 7 Austin on his mother’s 46th birthday. 

“My mom was actually really awesome, and she was wild, and she lived her life the way she wanted,” he said. 

Ramon and his mother shared a home. “Now, it’s just me and my bird,” he explained. 

Now, each trinket, each room weighs heavy on him. 

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“It just brings so many memories, but this is my home -- and I don’t really have that many places to go.” 

Menchaca did not have life insurance. Her family has started a GoFundMe to help cover expenses.