SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio couple’s dream business was ripped away in seconds after a weekend crash.
Jose and Alicia Lepe were on their way to sell breakfast out of their food trailer Saturday morning when they got rear-ended, totaling their pickup and trailer.
“Boom! I felt the hit in the back, and I felt that my truck lifted. And ‘boom, boom, boom! We started rolling over,” said Jose Lepe.
San Antonio police said the crash happened near Loop 1604 and Culebra Road. They said a truck behind the Lepes was following too closely, and then both trucks tried switching lanes at the same time.
The trailing truck was traveling at a faster rate of speed and rear-ended the Lepes, sending them rolling over into the grass median.
“My back, my neck — everything hurts,” said Jose Lepe.
Other than being sore, the Lepes only suffered minor injuries, but the crash cost them their truck and trailer. The couple says both are totaled, and they’re out roughly 70 to 80 thousand dollars.
“Our business is over,” said Jose, and Alicia added, “Everything is over,”
The setback comes two and a half years after the couple retired and invested everything into their food truck — Mio Amore.
The couple said they finally had everything they ever wanted, working for themselves, leaving customers satisfied and wanting more.
“People enjoyed the popular pasta we have, the Mamma Mia. It’s spicy. They would always say, ‘Give me that pasta ... the spicy one,’” Jose Lepe said with a laugh.
The Lepes said they aren’t sure how they’ll bounce back. They hope donations will help them get by, but they’re just grateful for now.
“Giving thanks to God that we’re OK, because everyone who was there thought we were dead because it was a really ugly crash,” said Jose Lepe.