91 Freeway crash: Father of 2 killed during construction job in Buena Park

CORONA, Calif. - Jose Mantecon's family describes him as the perfect example of who a man, a husband and a father should be. 

Now that family is begging people to pay attention behind the wheel in hopes of sparing their loved ones from going through the unthinkable.

"These workers out there have families at home. They need to follow the signs and give these workers space. It's not important to speed wherever you're going. Whatever you're doing, you're going to just rip somebody's life apart," his wife Carla Mantecon said. 

"I only was able to hold his hand on me. That is sad for a mother. Not able to kiss your son?" his mother Vivian Mantecon said.

Jose Mantecon was hit by a pickup truck on the 91 Freeway in Buena Park Friday before daybreak.

The 45-year-old construction worker had been hired as a subcontractor on an overnight Caltrans project.

"He was just a great human being, a great human being. He didn't deserve this, to die like that," his mother said.

Most important to Mantecon was being a family man, husband to Carla and father to 12-year-old Madeline and 9-year-old Logan. 

"I want to see him again. I love him so much. I wish he was here," Logan said.

He was his kid's barber.

A dancing machine.

The jokester.

An extreme adventurist.

"Motorcycles, dirt bikes, surfing, snowboarding. Anything that had to do with, like, being alive," Carla said.

He was the one everyone loved and wanted to be around.

"I'm angry. I'm sad. I feel empty," Carla said.

The Mantecon family is pleading for drivers to spare other families this pain and to be cautious and careful around construction zones.

"My kids are not going to have their dad and I'm not going to have my husband. He's never coming home," Carla said.

If you'd like to support the Mantecon family, they've sut up a GoFundMe in the family's name.