A young man who died after he was struck by a cement truck in the city’s southeast was a promising chef with big dreams who had only recently arrived from Argentina, his family says.
Manuel Martinez-Sly, 22, was walking from his job at a liquor store in Inglewood to his English-language class when he was hit by the truck, said his father, Ezequiel Martinez. Martinez-Sly had been a chef in Argentina but was waiting until he had a better handle on English before he looked for restaurant work in Calgary, Martinez said. He also had dreams of being a photographer and had recently bought a new camera.
His son was quiet and not very talkative, but had a big heart, Martinez said.
“He was my son. He was full of life. He was full of projects and he was really happy here,� Martinez said.
“Full of life and dreams.�
The family is now grappling with what happened, he said.
Police were called after a pedestrian was hit on northbound 12th Street S.E. between 9th and 10th avenues Tuesday evening. Traffic was slow moving due to delays with traffic flow ahead, Calgary police said in a statement.
The pedestrian crossed the road at an unmarked intersection, police said. He was hit and then dragged by an approaching cement truck. He was transported to Foothills Medical Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police do not believe alcohol or speed were factors.
The Martinez family had moved to Calgary from Buenos Aires more than a year ago, but Martinez-Sly only joined his parents and two sisters last fall, said Elisa Galdon, a family friend.
They are devastated by the loss of their son and brother, Galdon said, and with the cruel irony that the accident happened after he had left a country with such a high rate of traffic deaths. According to a 2013 World Health Organization report on road safety, Argentina has a 12.6 per cent estimated road death rate per 100,000 people — nearly twice Canada’s rate.
“It’s very hard for his family to understand when he was so happy and the city is so safe and they felt so welcome here, how this could happen to him,� she said.
Martinez-Sly had been living with his parents and sisters in Sundance, Galdon said. He was saving his money for a down payment on an apartment and was hoping to go on a trip, she said. Martinez-Sly was an organ donor but, as far as Galdon knows, all that could be salvaged for donation after the accident was his eyes, she said.
“At least the mother knows that someone will see through his eyes,� she said.
No charges had been laid by Wednesday evening, police said. The investigation is ongoing.
nstechyson@calgaryherald.com