Young adulthood had been rough for Alexander Colmenares Fernandez, who, at age 22, moved to the U.S. from Venezuela to work and help support his brother back home after both of their parents died in the past two years.
After a long journey to the U.S., Fernandez learned that his relative in Atlanta would not be able to house him, so he turned to his longtime friend, Jonas Sánchez, to ask for help. Jonas and his brother, Dangelo, welcomed Fernandez into their Carmel apartment two weeks ago with open arms. They also helped him find a job with a contractor that delivers appliances for Home Depot, where the brothers also worked.
Fernandez was enjoying life in Carmel, and he was excited about a recent bicycle purchase to help him explore the area.
“He was so happy here,” Dangelo said.
But the fresh start for Fernandez came to a sudden end shortly after 9 a.m. July 11 when he was fatally struck by a pickup truck as he and two other employees were making a delivery at a home on Olive Branch Road in Greenwood. Fernandez was pinned between the pickup and delivery truck, and his coworkers, Arturo Hernandez Tadeo Esdras, 30, and Oscar Bonilla, 38, were thrown into a yard, suffering serious injuries.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the driver of the eastbound pickup truck, Daniel Devine, 63, of Greenwood, told investigators he did not see the stopped delivery truck, likely because of the brightness of the rising sun on the horizon. Police do not believe intoxication or unsafe driving contributed to the accident.
The Sánchez brothers were shocked to hear the news, so traumatized by the loss that they couldn’t return to work.
“My brother and me, we don’t even want to see a truck anymore,” Dangelo said.
Jonas had known Fernandez for a decade, as the friends had attended high school and college classes together in Venezuela. Jonas said his friend once dreamed of becoming a lawyer, and he recalled returning to college after summer break one year barely recognizing Fernandez, who had lost a significant amount of weight by eating a diet that consisted mainly of chicken and plantains.
Most importantly, Fernandez was a committed friend and brother, Jonas said.
“He was a beautiful person, and he was a good brother,” he said.
Fernandez left college after the death of his father to help with the family business, and after his mother died he decided to relocate to the U.S. to work while his brother remained in Venezuela to manage the family’s affairs.
Now, the Sánchez brothers are in touch with Fernandez’s brother to help him travel to the U.S. They are also working to put together a fundraiser to help transport his body back to Venezuela.
