Now, family and friends of the victims are trying to come to terms with how one person’s bad decisions ended three young lives.
Artem Shypuk is trying to understand why pictures are all he has to remember his girlfriend. “It just hurts a lot cuz you know you lose someone you really love,” he said.
His girlfriend 19-year-old Madison Capo-Bianco was in the car with two friends Sunday night when police say the driver of a jeep who was drunk and speeding ran a red light and hit the teenagers.
Artem said, “Especially with the time and age we live in we have a lot of Transporation, Uber, Lyft and everything. It just sucks people make the wrong decision.”
Police say the driver Juan Carlos Rodriguez Palacios had a blood alcohol content of 0.239, almost three times the legal limit.
Madison, 19-year-old Trinity Watt and 18-year-old Makayla Tryon all died at the scene.
Artem says the girls were only supposed to be gone for a moment. “She was just hanging out with her best friend and her other friend and all I know is that they were going to go get snacks at the store,” he said.
Now, Artem is holding onto the memories. “She would go out of her way just to make everyone happy so she would always put other people before herself.”
Artem says Madison was looking forward to a career in police work or the medical field.
Police arrested Rodriguez Palacios on multiple charges including manslaughter, reckless driving, and DUI.
KATU also learned he was arrested for drunk driving back in June of 2015.
He’s expected to face a judge in Marion County Tuesday.
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