Victim’s family shares their story of aftermath following drunk driving death

Rudy Borrego killed in 2018 motorcycle crash

SAN ANTONIO – A day after the man who was driving drunk and killed Rudy Borrego, 51, Borrego’s family discussed their life since the tragedy with KSAT 12.

“That’s all I can describe him as is just larger than life,” Borrego’s daughter, Kaitlyn, told KSAT’s Paul Venema in a special report called “The Backstory” on Friday.

Kaitlyn and her brothers, Simon and Rudy Jr., are struggling to go on without their father, she said.

“I wish he was here right now,” Kaitlyn said. “I wish he could tell me that he loved me again and that he was proud of me.”

Since her father’s death, Kaitlyn has finished college.

“The whole reason why I continued my education, it was for my dad,” she said. “And for him not to be here is horrible.”

“He was always a good father,” said Grace Martinez-Borrego, Rudy Borrego’s widow. “No matter what he was going through, he still got up and he still took care of the kids.”

“He gave me the best three things, and I still have them,” Martinez-Borrego said as she gestured toward a family photograph. ”They are our legacy. They’re his legacy.”

She said that her husband died doing what he loved — riding his motorcycle that he bought just two months before he was killed the night of Feb. 24, 2018.

Martinez-Borrego recalled how her husband was finally able to purchase the motorcycle just two days before Christmas in 2017.

“The minute he got to the apartment with the bike, he put it inside the apartment, “ she said, laughing. “He parked it right in the middle of the living room.”

“He was crazy!” Martinez-Borrego said while smiling. “He loved that bike. (The) little bit of time that he had on that bike, he enjoyed every minute of it.”

As she spoke of their marriage, she said, “It was a sweet ride. We hit some bumps along the way, and we lost our way sometimes, we came back and were finally on our way.”


About the Author:

Paul Venema is a courthouse reporter for KSAT with more than 25 years experience in the role.