Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of Keith Calpito of El Paso, TX. The 35-year old died Mar. 8 after his motorcycle was struck by a possible drunk driver. Calpito was a tow truck driver for Best Wrecker.

Here's the story from the El Paso Times:
EL PASO -- A 35-year-old man died early Sunday when the motorcycle he was
riding was struck from behind by a car driven by a suspected drunken driver who
tried to leave the scene of the crash in Northeast El Paso, police said.
The
collision knocked Keith Calpito, of the 5600 block of Devon, off of his 2004
Harley-Davidson, and he died on U.S. 54 near Trans Mountain Road, police from
the Special Traffic Investigations Unit said.
Police do not believe Calpito
was wearing a helmet. He was traveling north on U.S. 54 when he was struck by a
2007 Scion driven by Brandon Bachtel, of the 4600 block of Loma Escondida.
Bachtel, 21, continued to drive north until his car quit running, police
said. He and Kenneth King, a 20-year-old passenger in the vehicle, fled on foot
but were tracked down by police.
Bachtel was charged with intoxicated
manslaughter and accident involving injury or death.
King, of the 5400 block
of Morningside, was not charged in the incident because he was not the driver
involved in the crash, El Paso police spokesman Officer Chris Mears said.
News about Calpito's death quickly spread Sunday morning among the tow truck
drivers who worked with Calpito at a Northeast El Paso wrecking service.
Calpito had been working only a few weeks at Best Wrecker, but had already
made many friends, said Christopher Cordova, a driver employed by another
wrecker service nearby.
"He was pretty cool to talk to and if someone needed
a hand, he was there for them," Cordova said.
Investigators believe speed
and alcohol were factors in the crash, which closed the roadway for several
hours.
This is at least the third motorcyclist killed on El Paso streets in
2009.
On Jan. 10, Edward Covarrubio, 42, was traveling on Alameda Avenue
when he collided with a truck and was thrown from his Harley-Davidson
motorcycle. Covarrubio was not wearing a helmet during the crash, and he died
from his injuries at Thomason Hospital.
Arturo Hernandez died Feb. 27 when
he rode his motorcycle at a high rate of speed into the back of a Jeep in the
11400 block of Montana Avenue. Hernandez was wearing a helmet.
Michael D.
Hernandez may be reached at mhernandez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6151.