WAREHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - State police have identified the 37-year-old Taunton man who was struck and killed on Interstate 495 in Raynham early Friday morning while he was trying to assist a motorist who had just hit a deer that was crossing the road, officials said. Now, his loved ones are coming together to remember how he lived to bring people together.
Troopers responding to a reported crash on the southbound side of the highway around 1 a.m. found Luis Contreras, 37, dead at the scene and determined he was fatally struck by a 2006 Infiniti G35 coupe driven by a 21-year-old Rockland man, according to state police.
Now, at the restaurant where he worked, friends, family and coworkers are gathering to pay tribute to a man they describe as “generous”, “kind” and “welcoming.”
A preliminary investigation suggests the man had pulled over and was trying to help the driver of a disabled vehicle that had hit a deer moments earlier.
“What happened to him, how it happened, was Luis because he did everything for the community,” a friend said. “He donated turkeys at Thanksgiving, helped deliver them. It’s who he was. He was just a kind man.”
That driver was identified as a 44-year-old Chesapeake, Virginia man who had three passengers, two adults, and a 7-year-old child.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the man remained at the scene.
Contreras managed the family restaurant El Mariachi located on Main Street. A welcoming gathering spot for people who live and work nearby.
“Luis was the meaning of an active member of our community,” one friend said. “We are all so involved with everything around here and with each other and he was the first person to jump into any kind of situation we had going on. Good or bad.”
There were no other reported injuries.
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