Las Vegas man killed in suspected DUI crash 'shouldn’t have been taken so early'
Annmarie Echevarria, left, wife of Eric Echevarria, is embraced by Krisztina Bessenyei during a vigil for Eric Echevarria on Fort Apache Road near Blue Diamond Road Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Eric Echevarria, 52, was killed in a traffic accident on Fort Apache Wednesday. Zaon Collins, 19, a UNLV basketball recruit, is facing charges relating to the accident. Photo by: Steve Marcus
Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Loving Eric Echevarria felt effortless.
Whether it was his infectious smile, charisma, or generous and warm spirit, everyone “he meets, they just love Eric,” his wife, Annmarie Echevarria said Sunday during a candlelight vigil in Eric’s memory.
“I thought I was Eric’s best friend, but he made everybody feel that way,” said his fellow U.S. Army veteran Kevin Smith, a friend of more than 20 years who struggled to keep his composure when talking to the crowd about his friend.
Echevarria, 52, died Wednesday from injuries suffered in a car crash caused by a suspected DUI driver, 19-year-old UNLV basketball recruit Zaon Collins. The memorial was held in the desert near the southwest Las Vegas neighborhood where the incident occurred.
The crash scene is now a public memorial to Echevarria with flowers, candles and photos. And, there’s the broken concrete wall serving as a reminder of where Echevarria was fatally injured.
Echevarria was driving home after picking up food for his teenage son when he was sideswiped by a speeding Collins, who was traveling 88 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to a Metro Police report. Police spotted a jar containing a “green leafy substance” in Collins’ car and said he showed signs “consistent with being under the influence of marijuana.”
Echevarria’s family and friends are demanding justice for Collins, whose next court date is Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate that they’re making this kid look like a hero just because he knows how to play basketball,” said Evelina Sulrzycki, Echevarria’s sister-in-law.
“What good is an athlete when you’re taking a hero?” she added.
Zaon Collins Photo by: Metro Police
Annmarie Echevarria said she didn’t feel “hate for the boy who did this,” but “he needs to be held accountable for killing my husband.” She said Collins stole a great father.
Eric Echevarria, a native New Yorker, served nearly a decade in the Army. He helped his wife raise four stepchildren, and they have a 14-year-old biological son, whom he was getting food for when tragedy struck.
He also left behind five grandchildren who will never get to see him again, Annmarie Echevarria said.
He worked the past 17 years as a custodian with the Clark County School District, where students and his coworkers at Sandra B. Abston Elementary School — his final assignment — loved him, his colleagues said at the vigil.
“He kept it beautiful, always,” a woman in the group said.
Echevarria was described as being dependable. If someone needed help, he would always raise his hand.
“This kid just didn’t have any sense of safety for everybody else, it’s just tragic,” his sister-in-law said. “He shouldn’t have been taken so early.”
Nephew Chris Meneses spoke about dark days since his uncle’s death. How he’s struggling not to grab his phone to call him to talk or hangout, like they would regularly do.
“When I picture him in my head, I just see a big smile,” Meneses said. “I still can’t accept or believe the fact he’s gone...I miss him so much.”