Jose

Seatbelts.

So many of the descansos I photograph are there because the driver or passenger didn’t buckle up. It’s such a damn simple thing, takes literally a few seconds at most, and would spare families and loved ones so much grief and grieving.

A seatbelt almost certainly would have saved Jose Contreras when he failed to successfully navigate the onramp to I5, hit the barrier and rolled his car.

He was twenty seven.

His memorial makes it look like he was well loved and had a lot to live for. The base of one of his two crosses is beautifully decorated with photos of him growing up.

It’s clear his family visits still, although with the accident only a few years ago and he being Latino I rather expect the pain to still be fresh. An empty bottle of tequila, empty Modello, and bottles of water are all around the memorial.

Jose must have loved playing pool, or at least I am guessing that from the eight ball sitting next to a second empty bottle of tequila.

“Fly High” says the second of his two crosses. I’m never really able to get much information about the deceased, but I always wonder when I see stuff like this. Was Jose a pilot? Or a high jumper?

I’ll never know.

Again it’s sad that Mr. Contreras would likely still be flying high, drinking tequila, and playing pool with his friends and family if he would have just buckled his damn seatbelt. Such a simple thing.

Rest in peace, Jose.