San Antonio – A San Antonio family is remembering the life of their loved one after he was killed by an intoxicated wrong-way driver. Their loved one, Christopher Farias Jr., was only 21 years old.
“He was the first-born grandson to the family,” said Veronica Farias, his mother. “He was my only son. He was a brother and just such a good person. He took everything in stride. He was so loving and affectionate.”
Christopher Farias, or CJ, was known as a gentle giant and loving teddy bear.
“He would pick us up and hold us until we couldn’t breathe and we are banging on his back saying, ‘Let me go! Let me go!’ I just wish I could just feel that hug again and tell him to don’t ever let go,” said Katherine Farias, his sister.
Veronica Farias prayed that the person who died in the wrong-way collision Wednesday was not her son. She was sadly mistaken.
“That morning, a friend of his came to my door,” Veronica Farias said. “It was her mom actually and she was telling me that she was worried about Chris because she hadn’t heard from him. She was saying she saw a truck that looked like his in an accident. I asked her what time did it happen and she said it was around 10. I thought that couldn’t have been my son.”
Veronica Farias said she woke up late that night with a message that didn’t point to her son being in a crash.
“I woke up in the middle of the night like around 1:20 in the morning,” said Veronica Farias. “I realized he wasn’t home yet so I texted him and asked him, ‘How much longer you think you are going to be?’ Because I wanted to put the lock on the door. I got a response at 1:27 a.m. It said, ‘In a lil bit.’ That is something he would always say. It was like one of his phrases, so I thought he couldn’t have been the one in that crash.”
Suspect in fatal DWI crash ID’d as cardiologist
She said reality began to hit her.
“I went to one of his friend’s house to see if they had heard anything from him and they didn’t and my heart started pounding,” Veronica Farias said. “I started looking at the pictures of the truck in the crash. I started hyperventilating. Then my daughter called the medical examiner and that’s when we knew.”
Despite getting a message from his phone after the crash happened, Veronica Farias’s daughter learned from the medical examiner that Christopher Farias was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:22 p.m. when EMS arrived. Veronica Farias said her heart was shattered because she didn’t understand who sent her a message from his phone or how it was sent.
“When he saw the lights, I think of how scared he must have been and didn’t have time to react and just not being able to be there for him and him being by himself,” Veronica Farias said through tears. “He’s not going to be able to grow older and get married and have kids, or experience anything like that. It is so awful, just the heartbreak of having to bury my son. My only son.”
CJ, who loved to dance, was known to be goofy.
“I remember talking to him earlier that day and he was talking to me about, it is so funny, he was like, ‘Mom, I am going to get paid tomorrow. Tomorrow night mom. WingStop. Wingstop on me! He was always planning to do things with his money. He was so responsible. He would cry to me sometimes and say how he hoped I was proud of the person he was and I would always tell him, ‘I am proud of you, mijo.'”
She said she will miss his random hugs and when he would always tell her he loved her. Katherine agreed.
“I will miss him walking by my room in his underwear before he would get to the shower because the bathroom was by my room,” Katherine Farias said. “He would stop by my room and stick his head and say, ‘Hey booboo. I love you booboo.’ That is what I am going to miss."
Victoria Farias, his 19-year-old sister, said though they bickered like normal brothers and sisters. She is going to miss him dearly.
“Because we were around the same age, we bickered about everything,” Victoria Farias said. “’ CJ, stop eating the food! CJ, clean your dishes!’ When we were nice to each other it was weird,” Victoria Farias joked. “He was my big brother,” she said as she began to get emotional. “My only brother in life is going to be so different without him.”
Veronica Farias said she is angry at Hector Osorio, the cardiologist responsible for the crash.
“This doctor who is supposed to help save lives, took one and it has affected us all,” Veronica Farias said. “That man should not have or not be allowed in the streets because he could hurt somebody else. Or kill somebody else. He took a life. He took a life. And he is still living, and he is still breathing. He is still able to see whoever he gets to see in his family, and you know it is not fair.”
Records show that Osorio was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2018. Veronica Farias said she hopes he is fully punished.
“He could have not only just taken my son’s life that night but others as well,” Veronica Farias said. “He deserves to be punished for what he did. My son deserves to know someone is going to be accountable and responsible for him not being here on this Earth anymore. For him being taken so young. I can’t say that I do forgive him at this moment but I know my faith calls for me to do so one day. I know CJ is in heaven and we will join him one day.”
Osorio was arrested for intoxication manslaughter in the death of Christopher Farias. His bond was set at $150,000 but he has since bonded out.
The family said if they had one message for the community to take from CJ’s story, it would be to be kind to each other.
“Take your friends, take your family and just hug them a little tighter and kiss them a little longer,” Katherine Farias said. “You always see it on the news and never think it could happen to your family, but it happens.”
His mother said she did get a chance to see Christopher’s Farias’s body after the accident.
“He was so peaceful,” Veronica Farias said. “He looked good. He was handsome and looked like he was sleeping. All of his injuries were internal. One day I will see my son again. There is nothing that that doctor can do to repair or fix this. He needs to be punished. I already wrote my son’s obituary and it was one the hardest thing I think I have ever done. I tried to describe him as best as I could. How can you put in so many words what his person and life did on this earth?”
Christopher Farias’s funeral service is set for Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. at Mission Park Funeral Chapel.