By LESLIE WILBER •
Originally published April 30, 2009 at 12:48 p.m., updated April 30, 2009 at 10:33 p.m.
A man died, and a woman is in the hospital after a late night motorcycle wreck Wednesday.
Henry Vasquez, 52, was driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle west on Water Street at 11:43 p.m., Officer Shane Wallace said. Witnesses in nearby homes heard the motorcycle's engine rev and saw the aftermath of the wreck.
Vasquez may not have slowed for a construction zone and it seems the motorcycle slipped on a patch of loose gravel, Wallace said.
Vasquez and his passenger, 33-year-old Christina Camacho, were thrown from the bike. Both were taken to DeTar Hospital Navarro, where the Placedo man later died. Camacho, of Victoria, was listed in good condition, a hospital spokesman said.
Manuel DeLosSantos Jr., Vasquez's cousin, remembers him fondly.
"When I got out of the service, we hung around a lot together," said DeLosSantos. "He was known as Mr. Miaggi, because of the way he cut and dyed his hair."
Vasquez, who worked in maintenance for the Victoria school district for 10 years, was a drummer and performed with many local bands including the Guerra Musical, La Mala Compañia, Jessie Escalona Bandolero Band and most recently with Los Cuatro del Barrio, DeLosSantos said. The latest band recently recorded a CD and was scheduled to soon take the photograph for the cover.
"He was a happy man and never showed any sadness or hurt outwardly. He was always smiling and joked about his problems, always emphasizing the good of others," his cousin added.
DeLosSantos said that Vasquez was also an excellent dancer.
"He danced to everything from country, Tejano, rock & roll, hip hop and even the current Mexican and Caribbean salsa craze. He would always encourage all his friends to join him on the floor and teased them by hollering, Heahh'," recalled DeLosSantos.
An avid fisherman, Vasquez attend school in Bloomington and was active in sports. He also coached Little League baseball in Bloomington and Victoria.
He has two children, six grandchildren, five brothers, and two sisters.
This is the third traffic wreck to result in serious injury or death this week. Early Wednesday morning, Enrique Rosales, 60, of Rosenberg was killed by a hit-and-run driver while working at a Laurent Street construction site.
On Monday, Cory Valentine, 22, of Victoria was hit by a sedan while he was trimming grass on the side of John Stockbauer Drive. Valentine was in stable condition at University Hospital in San Antonio on Thursday.
The common thread between the accidents is they happened in work or construction zones, Wallace said.
"People need to obey the signs that are posted," he said. "That's for their safety as well as workers."
