The sons of a man who died after a tire from another car came off and struck his windshield on Thursday are honoring his memory.
Pedro and Fabian Ruiz described their father, Fernando Ruiz Horta, as kind and selfless.
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WATCH HERE"My dad was a very caring, hard-working person, someone [who] had morals, he looked after everyone before he looked after himself," Fabian said.
Ruiz Horta was driving southbound on Interstate 680 near Alamo on Thursday when a tire came off another vehicle and crashed into his windshield.
The left rear tire of a blue Ford van, headed north on the highway near Stone Valley Road, came loose and bounced over the center divide at about 1:35 p.m., according to the CHP.
It's not known why the tire came off the van.
“This could have been your brother, could have been your sister, could have been your dad, could have been your mom, because my dad commutes, we commute, we do," Pedro said. "We’re from the Bay Area. My dad was supposed to come home, and he didn’t.”
Ruiz Horta immigrated to the United States as a teenager and raised his family in the Bay Area. He was about to turn 62-years-old in a few weeks.
"He's a great person, a lot of people are mourning him right now," Pedro said. "He’s a great father, he's a great husband, but he was living the best grandpa era."
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SIGN UP Pedro and Fabian said their father worked in construction and always encouraged them to work hard.
"We’ve always been close, we live here with my dad, we’ve always been together," Fabian said. "It’s new to us now, we don’t have my dad anymore."
The family has since organized a fundraiser to help with funeral expenses.
"My dad prepared us for life, for this moment too," Pedro said. "My mom's by herself and us siblings, we’re taking a step forward and caring for our mom now.”
Legal experts said the driver of the car with the detached wheel could potentially face charges if the car's maintenance wasn't up to standard.
“My dad was supposed to come home, and he didn’t.”
— Jocelyn Moran (@jocelynamoran) April 19, 2025
Fernando Ruiz Horta died in a tragic accident Thursday on 680 near Alamo. Another car’s tire flew off and went thru the windshield of Fernando’s truck.
The family has started a GoFundMe:https://t.co/UyH6l37LkR pic.twitter.com/xyM1uRVgEO
